The Evolution of a Relationship
by saragillie
Summary: Angela does a series of paintings to make a point to Brennan and Booth.
1. The Evolution of a Relationship

**AN: I'm so excited to be posting this story. I've been working on it for several months and now it's finished. I will be posting two or three chapters a week. Thanks to redrider6612 who edited the story for me and made me rewrite when what I'd written was out of character. Hope you enjoy it. (For everyone following Wounded and Scarred, there will be an update soon.)**

"So," Booth asked Brennan, "do you know anything about Angela's new show besides the title 'The Evolution of a Relationship'?"

"No," Brennan replied. "Usually she tells me about her shows and shows me a few of the paintings before they go on display. But she's been really secretive about this one. She refused to tell me anything about it. When I tried to get information from the gallery all they sent was a postcard with the title, gallery times, opening night information and a quote from some famous artist saying it's Angela best show yet."

"That's weird," Booth said as he climbed out of the SUV.

Booth's hand found its usual place at the small of Brennan's back as they walked toward the gallery entrance.

When they entered the building, Brennan was surprised to see the setup. Instead of the space being open to allow the visitors to free wander and appreciate the art, it was designed to force everyone to follow the same path through the exhibit.

She looked up at Booth. He shrugged, and then helped her out of her coat.

"Wow, Bones. You look nice tonight," he complimented her.

She smiled and said, "I always make an extra effort for Angela's shows. It wouldn't do for her best friend to embarrass her."

She lowered her voice to a whisper, "Actually, Angela picked this out herself and told me I had to wear it. For some reason she's more nervous about this show than I've seen her in a long time."

"Hey, sweetie, I'm so glad you two could make it," Angela's voice preceded the woman herself by about a foot.

"You know I wouldn't miss one of your shows," Brennan replied.

She hugged Brennan and then said, "You two stick together and I hope you enjoy it. I'll see you later, right now I see some people I need to talk to."

With that Angela flitted off to speak to an older couple who were just entering the gallery.

Booth and Brennan moved toward the first painting. It showed a man and a woman in a garden, standing in front of a fountain. Each figure had their fists planted firmly on their hips, obviously arguing.

"I've never been that good at interpreting art," Brennan began, "but the title of the show mentions relationships and the people in this picture are clearly fighting."

Booth nodded his agreement, and after studying the piece for a moment longer they moved on to the next one.

This one featured the same two people, the woman was looking out of a car's passenger window and the man was looking at her, annoyed.

Neither Booth nor Brennan felt the need to comment on the picture and they moved onto the next one.

It showed the same two people and a number of others at a funeral. The next showed the woman scolding the man about something.

"She's pretty hard on that guy," Booth commented.

"What makes you think he didn't deserve it?" Brennan retorted.

Each gave the other a hard look and then by mutual agreement they continued to the next painting.

This one featured the two people sitting next to each other, near a tree overlooking a park.

"At least in this picture they look friendly toward each other," Brennan said.

The two continued slowly, stopping to enjoy each picture. Neither of them seemed to notice the other people looking at Angela's art. They were so absorbed that they missed the occasional odd look that came their way.

A few pictures further down the path came one that neither of them could help but recognize. The woman, hands bound, had her arms around the neck of the man, a look of relief on her face. The background showed a large hook, some dogs, a guy on the floor with his hands in cuffs, and some police officers.

Brennan turned to Booth, but he was the first to speak.

"I knew something about these pictures was odd. I kept experiencing a kind of déjà vu, but I couldn't figure out why," he said.

"What was Angela thinking?" Brennan demanded. "I mean, the faces have different features, but I can't believe I didn't realize…" she stopped, not wanting to attract too much attention.

They continued to walk slowly through the exhibit. The settings and faces had been changed, but the events were clearly recognizable: the man offering the woman an earring while they sat among friends; the couple sitting in a graveyard, the woman comforting the grieving man. The painting entitled, "Who I Am," was particularly poignant as the man comforted the woman. The pictures went on, each one showing the two characters in various ways, but also showing the growing closeness between them: a late night dinner, the two of them sitting at a bar; the man kneeling over the woman lying on gravel, holding her to him; the two facing each other outside a large window, the man's hand under the woman's chin; the woman pointing a gun at a curly-haired heavy-set man, protecting the man while he struggled with his bonds; the formally-dressed couple hugging at the front of the church, with an impatient bride looking on.

When they reached the reception area, neither knew what to say. As they started to help themselves to the food, someone offered each of them an envelope.

Each looked at their envelopes and noticed the handwriting was Angela's.

Booth opened his and found a white piece of paper with a single sentence, "Don't you think you've already crossed the line?"

Brennan's had a different message, "Maybe now you'll believe me."

They both looked up from their notes at the same time and their glances caught. Their gaze held for a moment, and then Brennan looked away.

"Booth, can I read your note?" she asked.

"If you don't mind if I read yours," he replied.

She stretched her note toward him, and they traded.

"Wait, does she mean…?" Brennan started to ask, but Booth interrupted her.

"Maybe we shouldn't have this conversation here," he said, steering her back toward her coat and the exit.

"I can't believe Angela did this!" Brennan said a bit too loudly.

Booth hissed, "Keep it down. You can rip into her about it later, but don't ruin her show. It's too late for us to do anything about it."

As they reached the exit, they overheard a potential buyer asking a gallery assistant, "How much for 'Rescue Me,' the one with the dogs? I noticed there were no prices listed for any of them."

The assistant replied in a chagrined voice, "The artist, Angela Montenegro, insisted that none of them were for sale. The paintings were so good we decided to show them for a week anyway. She's here tonight, so maybe you can convince her to sell. She could make a fortune on these."

Booth and Brennan escaped into the night.


	2. An Important Conversation

AN: And here's the next installment. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I hope you enjoy this!

The minute the doors to the SUV were closed Brennan let everything out.

"I can't believe Angela did that to us. What was she thinking? The paintings were great, but she should have checked with us before putting our relationship on display," Brennan said, venting her frustration.

She was surprised when Booth didn't immediately agree with her. Instead he looked thoughtful as he drove toward her apartment.

"Don't you agree with me?" she demanded, when he was silent too long.

"Huh? Oh, well, she definitely should have been more discreet," he finally said.

"But you're not upset?" she asked.

"I haven't decided yet," he replied, lapsing into silence.

When they arrived at her apartment, she invited him up for a drink. The two were soon sitting on her couch, Booth with his beer and Brennan with a glass of red wine.

She tried to wait patiently for him to make up his mind, but after a few minutes of silence, she had had enough.

"So, did you decide yet?" she asked.

"No," he replied.

She queried, "Then what are you thinking about?"

"The notes," Booth answered succinctly.

"I thought they were clear," she commented.

"To you possibly. Mine was clear to me, but I'm not sure about yours. I assume it refers to something the two of you discussed, but since I wasn't a part of the conversation…" he trailed off, hoping she would explain.

To his surprise, she blushed, stammered something about needing the restroom, and then she practically ran out of the room.

While Booth waited for Brennan to return, his thoughts ran in circles. They started with something like 'Angela's right. I crossed the line a long time ago' and 'I've admitted it to myself, but am I willing to take it further?' and moved to 'I wonder what Angela could have told her that the paintings might make her believe?' and then returned to his thoughts about the line.

Meanwhile, Brennan was sitting on the toilet lid, wondering how long she could hide in the bathroom and how Angela could do this to her.

After she had calmed down a bit, she started to reflect on the paintings. 'Is what Angela painted really what everyone sees? Or is it only Angela's wishful thinking?' she wondered.

Angela's voice echoed in her head,_ Come on, Bren. People are always mistaking you two for a couple. And nobody believes it any more when the two of you deny it. _

Brennan tried to remember how many times over the past couple years one or the other of them had denied being anything more than partners. She finally gave up trying to count. 'Maybe Angela's right. I suppose there's an easy way to find out. I could just explain what the note meant and see how he reacts.'

With this plan, she confidently returned to her seat in the living room. When Booth looked at her expectantly, she took a deep breath and spoke.

"You know, Angela didn't make those paintings to sell. She painted them to make a point, to me, and apparently to you. That's partly what the note meant," Brennan stopped, suddenly nervous.

"And the rest?" Booth asked, suddenly having a feeling where this was going.

Brennan blushed and said in a quiet voice, "Well, a couple of months ago, Angela was going on about how the two of us should get together. When I asked her why, she said that you were already in love with me."

Booth made a strange noise in his throat and she looked at him for a minute before continuing, "I didn't believe her, so she said she'd prove it to me. The paintings are her proof." She was so glad to have made it through the explanation in her most logical manner that she had to suppress a sigh of relief when it was over.

Now she looked at him expectantly.

Booth decided on a diversionary tactic. "You know, I've made up my mind," he said.

"About what?" she asked, a bit confused.

"I am upset at Angela," he replied. "She should mind her own business."

"So why didn't you decide until now that you were upset?" Brennan queried.

Booth really didn't want to answer that question. He tried to get up to leave, but wasn't done with him yet. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back into his seat.

"You're not getting out of this conversation that easily," Brennan said with determination, her attention completely focused on him.

Booth knew if he wanted to leave, he'd have to fight his way to the door and he wasn't sure this was a good time to test her assertion that she could take anyone down.

"She's trying to force us into something I don't think either of us is ready for yet," he replied with a sigh.

"Wait, are you saying--?" Brennan started, but her lightning quick mind had processed the possibilities and already come up with the most likely meaning.

Before Booth could reply, she slid closer to him, looked him directly in the eye and asked, "Why do you think that?"

She watched as he visibly sorted through the possible answers and then settled on one, the logical and straightforward approach. 'I'm going to kill Angela in the morning,' he thought.

"This isn't the time, place, or way I'd prefer to tell you this," he began, "but Angela's right, well partly. Temperance, I love you and I'm in love with you. And I don't want to be with you now and then have things fall apart. I want forever with you. But I don't think you're ready for that yet, and I'm not sure that we could sustain that kind of a relationship with the way our jobs are."

The moment he finished his explanation, she was kissing him. His eyes slid shut as sensations overtook him. A pleasant fire spread from his lips to the tips of his toes. Kissing _his_ Bones was an incredible experience.

A moment later, a tiny shred of reason intruded and he gently pulled back. As he leaned his forehead against hers, he smiled.

"Wow! I've wanted to kiss you for so long, that was…" Booth couldn't begin to find words to describe the experience.

Brennan smiled back and teased, "Yeah, imagine what a French kiss would be like."

That thought sent his mind so many places, wondering what each of their firsts would be like. But he had had plenty of practice reigning in his thoughts around her and he did it again.

"Maybe we shouldn't go there quite yet," he said.

At her disappointed sigh, he said, "We view relationships very differently. I've thought about us a lot. A good relationship requires some sacrifices from both parties and I'm willing to make some, but there are some I think you'd need to make. I'm cool if you're not ready to talk about this yet."

Brennan heard what he said and knew he was serious, but her heart was singing 'He loves me. He told me he loves me' over and over and over again. At the moment all she cared about was that.

She gazed into his eyes and he tried to show her everything that was in his heart. She moved to kiss him again, but he pulled her into a hug instead. He whispered in her ear, "I really do want to kiss you again, but I don't think that's a good idea until we get things sorted out."

He pulled out of the hug and said, "I just laid it all on the line, Bones, and you haven't said anything. Since _you_ kissed _me_, I'm guessing you were happy to hear it."

"I think we've been slowly moving to this point for a long time, so slowly that we didn't even see what was happening. Angela was right. When I was looking at her paintings it was so obvious to me. It happened so slowly and gradually that I didn't even really notice it, and I didn't believe Angela when she told me. I didn't tell you the other half of the conversation. Before she told me that you were in love with me, she said that I was in love with you. I didn't believe that was true either, but I agree that her paintings show it." Brennan stopped to take a breath.

"Temperance," Booth began.

But she shushed him and continued, "You're right though. I'm not ready to talk about this yet. You've clearly been thinking about it for a while, but I'm just getting started. I need some time to think and then we'll need to talk."

Booth nodded his agreement. 'I've been patient for a long time, and this is a big step in the right direction, I hope. I can wait a little longer,' he thought.

Another thought struck him, and he said, "So what do we do about Angela?"


	3. Confronting Angela

**AN: On a note almost totally unrelated to this, my computer is getting back to normal. It died for the sixth time this year and I managed to resurrect it. I decided that Windows was the problem and upgraded to a newer version. Here's to hoping I don't have to reinstall again any time soon. Okay... enough of that. Enjoy! Thanks to everyone who reviewed for their kind words.**

The next morning both Booth and Brennan arrived at the Jeffersonian early. They sat down on her couch to enjoy coffee and muffins.

"Do you really think this will cure Angela of her meddling? I need time to think things out and if she's pushing me like usual…" Brennan voiced her doubts about their plan to Booth.

"She's made getting us together her latest project. If we don't do something, we may never have any breathing room," Booth replied.

After they finished eating breakfast, Brennan turned on her computer, Booth pulled out a file, and the two began to work in companionable silence. Every so often, Brennan's mind wandered and she stole glances at Booth. Then she'd have to remind herself that she needed to get some work done.

A while later, Angela waltzed into Brennan's office. She was so intent on interrogating Brennan that she failed to notice Booth sitting on the couch.

"So Bren," Angela began, walking closer to the desk, "what did you think of my show?"

While Angela asked her question, Booth quietly slipped behind her, closed the door, and leaned against it.

"I think those are some of the best paintings you've ever done," Brennan said.

She was about to continue, but Angela interrupted her, "So, sweetie, did I prove my point?"

"We're not going to talk about that," Booth said in a serious tone.

At the sound of his voice, Angela jumped and turned. "Oh, hi, Booth. I didn't hear you come in," she said.

"I was here when you walked in," he said. "But that's not what we're going to talk about either."

Angela started to get nervous. She'd seen Booth in a lot of moods, but this one was new to her.

"So, should we start with your putting our partnership on display for all to see, or perhaps with your meddling?" Brennan asked with false cheerfulness.

'Uh oh,' she thought. For a moment, Angela contemplated trying to escape, but she realized that Booth was blocking the only exit. She moved to the couch and sat at the farthest point from her friends.

"Until now, we've put up with your meddling because you're our friend, and we know that you just want me to be more relaxed and us to be happy – to find the kind of happiness you have with Hodgins. But you went way beyond what was necessary to prove your point," Brennan started the lecture.

Booth continued, "Anyone who has known Bones and me more than a little over the past two years will be able to see through the minor changes you made, and it could put our partnership at risk in a several ways."

"It ends now. No more meddling," Brennan concluded.

"Bu… bu…" Angela stuttered.

Booth cut her off. "We don't need explanations or excuses."

With that, he opened the door and motioned Angela out. She sat on the couch a moment, in shock. She had expected the two of them to be happily starting a relationship. 'All the signs pointed to this being the right timing. What went wrong?' she thought desperately. Her shoulders sagged a bit, then she stood and left quickly.

When she was gone and Booth had closed the door, Brennan turned to him and asked, "Do you think we were too hard on her?"

"Maybe a bit. But she wouldn't have stopped if we weren't serious enough. If you go see her in about half an hour and ask her to lunch, she'll know you're not mad," he replied.

"Did you really mean what you said about this possibly putting our partnership at risk?" she asked.

"Well, the FBI has a policy about relationships between agents," Booth said.

"But I'm not an agent," Brennan objected.

"No, you're not. But some of the reasoning behind the policy would still apply to us," he replied. "I think Cullen would be reasonable, as long as we demonstrated our ability to stay professional on the job. But that wasn't the only risk I was thinking of."

When he saw her expectant look, he sighed and continued, "Since the moment we became friends, you, and all the squints, actually, became potential targets for someone trying to get to me. Anyone who is aware of my feelings for you knows that going after you or Parker are the quickest ways to hurt me. It's part of the job and all agents have to deal with it. Angela's art show just widened the number of people who know. It's good, really good, so it will probably make the Arts & Entertainment section of next Sunday's newspaper, increasing the number dramatically."

Brennan thought a minute before replying, "I see what you mean. But you, Angela, Jack, Zach, and Cam could also be targets because of a case that I worked. I testified in some high profile cases before we became partners."

"That's one of the reasons I'm less hesitant to pursue a serious relationship with you than I was with some of the other women I dated," he said. "You already understand the risks and live with them every day, and you're more able to defend yourself than any other woman I know."

Brennan smiled, pleased at the compliment. "You really have given this a lot of thought," she observed. "I know we have a lot of talking to do, but I have some serious thinking to do too, and I need to get some work done."

Booth took that as his cue to head back to work too. After he left, Brennan went looking for Angela.

She found her in Hodgins' office. When she knocked on the glass, Hodgins glared at her.

"Ange, lunch later?" Brennan asked softly.

Angela looked up at her best friend, her eyes still puffy from crying. "You're not still mad at me are you?"

"No. I was never angry with you. Okay, well, maybe for half an hour or so last night… but I'm not upset now," she smiled. "We may have exaggerated a bit to get your attention, Ange, but you have been pretty pushy lately. Let's go someplace nicer for lunch. How about that Italian place you like?

Angela perked up. "Sounds good to me. Over lunch you can tell me all about…"

A single look from Brennan made Angela realize that maybe she'd better hold her questions about their relationship for at least a day or two.


	4. Distractions

**AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed so far: xXBlissfulCursesXx, TVObsessee, dancingpiggy, idaatje, Serienjunkie 91, AtMyBehest, susan3241, Kia Grrl, xX Melissa Xx, BlueTigress, TemperTemper, UnderneathARainbowSky, hmfrongillo, bkworm564, Fire Burning Snow, Boothissexy, that lovegood oddity, LordLanceahlot, Daisy190, LikeMulderandScully, BlissBeMine.**

Brennan's concentration problems continued after she returned from her lunch with Angela. Zach had to repeat his questions about the bones they were studying several times and twice the answers she gave made no sense.

Cam approached Brennan and asked, "How's the file on our last FBI case coming?"

When Brennan didn't respond, she said, "Hello? Hello? Earth to Brennan."

She glanced at Zach, a question in her eyes.

He shrugged and said, "She's been distracted all afternoon."

Cam put a hand on Brennan's shoulder to get her attention, and tried again, "Dr. Brennan?"

Brennan jumped. "Yes?" she replied.

"How's the file on our last FBI case coming?" her boss asked again.

"Oh, my part's done. Let me get it for you," she replied, heading off the platform toward her office.

Cam followed Brennan into her office and said, "You were really zoned out."

"What? I don't know what that means," Brennan responded, as she dug through a pile of folders looking for the right one.

"It means you were thinking hard about something and were unaware of what was happening around you," Cam explained, wishing yet again that the forensic anthropologist would take the time to learn the idioms and slang that most people knew.

"Here it is," Brennan announced, pulling a file from the stack and offering it to her boss.

"Look, you work way more hours than you need to, and things are kind of slow this afternoon. Why don't you take the rest of the afternoon off?" Cam offered.

"Huh?" Brennan said, so occupied with other thoughts that her mind took a minute to process the words. "Oh, thanks. I think I will."

Brennan closed the blinds and the door. After locking the door and turning out the lights, she sat down on her couch to think.

_I really wish Angela had minded her own business. Things were good the way they were before. Now she's forced me into a position where I have to figure out what I feel and what I want. Booth's already been thinking about this… us… having a relationship. He said he wants forever. I'm not exactly sure about forever, but he's already proven that he won't leave when things get tough. He knows me well enough to know my idiosyncrasies, fears, and bad habits. And he takes his promises and responsibilities seriously. He mentioned sacrifices that each of us would need to make. I wonder what he thinks those are._

The ringing of a phone surprised Brennan from deep thought. It took her a minute to realize it was her cell phone. She looked at the caller ID and smiled.

"Hi, Booth," she said. "What's up?"

"Rebecca called about half an hour ago and asked if I'd watch Parker for the evening. She has a date and the babysitter came down with the flu. I had been hoping we could talk this evening, but I don't think that's going to work out," he answered.

"Oh," she replied.

"Oh?" he asked.

"I was hoping we could talk too. I was so distracted this afternoon that Cam told me to take the rest of the day off. I've been thinking and I have some questions I want to ask you," she explained.

"We could still hang out this evening, even if we can't talk," he offered.

She really wanted to see him, but…. "You know I'm no good around kids, Booth."

"Aw… come on, Temperance. Kids aren't that bad. You won't get any better if you avoid them. We'll do something easy like watch a movie," he cajoled.

She couldn't resist when he used her first name. "Alright," she caved.

"We'll be by to pick you up in ten minutes," he said happily.

"Ten minutes? I thought you said this evening," Brennan replied.

"It's ten 'til seven, Bones. See you in a few," he concluded the call.

She glanced at the display on her phone in disbelief. 'I can't believe it's almost seven. I really was zoned out,' she thought. She grabbed her stuff and headed out of the building to wait for them.

Half an hour later the three of them were at Booth's apartment.

"So what are we going to watch tonight, bub?" Booth asked his son.

"The Incredibles! Let's watch that, Daddy," Parker bounced with excitement.

"The Incredibles it is," he replied.

As he put the DVD in the player, he explained to Brennan, "The Incredibles is Parker's current favorite."

"Haven't you seen it?" Parker asked her.

"Nope. This will be my first time," she answered.

Booth sat down in the middle of the couch, Brennan and Parker on either side of him.

"You're gonna love this movie. It's the best," Parker informed her.

She couldn't help but smile at the young boy's enthusiasm.

The movie hadn't been on for very long before she leaned over and whispered in Booth's ear, "People can't really do these kinds of things. This isn't very believable. Are you sure it's a good idea for Parker to watch this?"

Booth put his arm around her to keep her from moving away. He whispered back, "Just suspend your disbelief while the movie's playing, okay? It's a fun movie. You can tell me what was wrong with it afterward."

She nodded and tried to turn her attention to the screen but his proximity was very distracting. They paused the movie twice: once for popcorn and a second time so Parker could use the bathroom.

When the credits started, Parker crawled into his daddy's lap and sleepily asked Brennan, "Did you like it?"

'What do I say? It wasn't believable. People don't have superpowers,' Brennan thought desperately, trying to come up with an appropriate answer.

"Um," she replied. "I don't know. Which character is your favorite?"

"Dash," he answered.

"Why?"

"Because he can run really fast and if I could run that fast I could help you and Daddy catch bad guys," Parker answered. "Which power would you want?"

Booth gave Brennan an encouraging smile when he saw the panicked look on her face.

"Um. Invisibility, I guess," she answered, picking one randomly.

When he asked why, she searched for an answer. "Because that way I could sneak up on the bad guys really easily," she said with triumph. _Whew. Good answer._

Booth cuddled his son and laughed. "Watch out, criminals of DC! The crime-fighting team of Bones and Parker will hunt you down and lock you up."

"You're silly, Daddy," Parker said.

"Yeah, Booth. What he said," Brennan agreed, winking at Parker.

Parker's eyes were slowly beginning to close. Booth stood up and said, "Come on, bub. Let's get you into your pajamas."

"But Daddy, I'm not tired," Parker objected, yawning.

"That's okay. It's still bedtime though," his father said, carrying him toward the bedroom.

Brennan stared after them a moment. She smiled and sighed. _How is it that seeing him with his son makes him more attractive?_

Not knowing how long Booth would be gone, Brennan got up and scanned his bookshelves for something to read. After looking at the first few shelves, she thought 'Doesn't he have a single interesting book?'

The last shelf contained children's books. She scanned them. "I remember reading this as a kid," she muttered to herself as she pulled out _Wacky Wednesday_ by Dr. Seuss off the shelf. She took it over to the couch and was soon involved in finding the wacky things.

When Booth returned, he was amazed to find his Bones curled up on the couch intensely concentrating on a children's book. He walked behind the couch and looked over her shoulder to see which book held her attention. He practically choked on a laugh when he realized which book she had.

He walked back around and sat down next to her. Although they were hardly touching, both felt a jolt of electricity arc between them.

"Good book?" he asked, trying hard not to laugh.

"I'm stuck!" she answered with annoyance. "I can only find eight of the nine wacky things in this picture."

"Show me which ones you've found," he instructed, leaning closer to see the book better.

Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment and she took a deep breath, trying to control her desire to kiss him. Instead she inhaled his scent, aftershave, Parker's bubble bath and something uniquely him.

_Focus! What did he say? Oh yeah._ She pointed to the eight wacky things that she found.

"Oh. You're missing the picture. That's Abraham Lincoln, not George Washington," Booth said, smiling at her.

She looked up into his warm brown eyes. Suddenly the absurdity of the situation hit her and she started to laugh. Her laughter was infectious and soon he was laughing with her.

When their laughter subsided, she said softly, "Thanks for convincing me to come. I had fun. Parker's a good kid."

"He is, isn't he?" Booth replied with a smile. "You did fine, you know. When I was tucking him into bed, he wanted to know if you'd be here when he woke up in the morning and he mumbled something about Robin Hood as he dropped off to sleep."

She smiled back at him. His approval was important to her, and if they were going to be something more, she needed to get along well with his son.

Booth suddenly became aware that his entire left side was pressed against her. His heart rate increased. He wanted her so much. _But I don't want to mess this up._ The thought of losing her helped him to control his desire, and he scooted away.

"I know we need to talk, but I can't think right now," Booth said. "How about we leave work tomorrow at 5, take a walk around the Jeffersonian gardens, and then eat somewhere nice? That will give us plenty of time to talk." _And we'll be in public places where it will be easier to keep my hands to myself until we hash this out._

Assuming Booth meant that he was too tired to think, Brennan pushed her disappointment away and objected, "Five? Booth! That's early. I usually work much later."

He gave her a sidelong glance, "Would you really rather work than spend time with me?" A grin appeared on his face.

"You're right," she agreed. _If I have as hard a time concentrating tomorrow as I did today, it's not like I'll be accomplishing much._

His grin morphed into a full-blown charm smile. 'The man could melt ice with that smile,' Brennan thought.

They both stood up and headed toward the door. There was an awkward moment when neither was sure how to say goodbye, and then he pulled her into a tight hug. Her eyes slid shut and she reveled in the safety of his arms for a moment before saying a quiet goodnight and heading to her car.


	5. The Scene of the Crime

**I apologize for posting this late. I ran into some computer complications. Please don't flog me.**

When lunch came and went the next day, Brennan sighed in relief. _Only a few hours left. And I managed to get a reasonable amount accomplished this morning._

She was sitting at her desk filling out the paperwork on the latest World War 1 body she and Zach had identified, when she heard the sound of Booth's shoes making their way down the hallway toward her office.

He knocked on her door and leaned against the frame, smiling as his eyes drank in the details of the woman he loved.

After finishing her sentence, Brennan looked toward him and was immediately caught in his gaze. She was warmed by the admiration and affection she saw in his eyes._ When he allows it, his eyes show everything he's feeling._

"Booth!" she exclaimed. "Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?" he asked, innocently.

"You know what I mean. And if you keep looking at me like that, I won't be responsible for my actions," she said in her usual tone. Anyone listening in would think she meant her usual threat of taking him down, but he understood exactly what she meant, so he stopped.

He straightened up and smiled again. "We have a case, Bones," he said, offering her a manila file.

"Let me grab my kit," she said, standing and reaching for her jacket.

Angela watched the pair as they left. Booth was carrying Brennan's kit and like usual she was arguing with him about it. Angela sighed to herself, wondering how they could still be so oblivious. _My paintings were so clear. How is it that nothing has changed?_ She gave up trying to understand her favorite non-couple and returned to the skull she was drawing a face for.

Once both of them were in the SUV and safely away from potential eavesdroppers, Brennan continued the conversation.

"You can't look at me like that when we're working, Booth," she said. "I have a hard enough time concentrating when you're around anyways."

He stopped at a light and looked over at her. For a moment they were lost in each other's gaze. He reached out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. She leaned her face into his touch. He smirked and reached out to remove the clip that restrained her hair.

"Booth!" she objected, swatting his hand.

"Your hair looks so nice when it frames your face," he complimented her.

A small thrill ran through her at his words. "Give me my clip back," she demanded.

"Nope," he said, pocketing the clip.

A honk from the car behind them distracted Booth from his flirting and he put his foot on the gas.

"Come on, Booth. Give it back," she said with a pretend pout.

"You're so much fun when you try to pout," he said.

She rolled her eyes at him and started muttering under her breath about his alpha male tendencies. She pulled out the case file, deciding the only reasonable way to deal with her partner right now was to ignore him.

At the crime scene, Booth looked for their contact. Spotting him, he put his hand in its usual place on Brennan's waist and guided her in the right direction.

"Officer Smith?" he asked. When the man nodded, Booth continued, "Special Agent Seeley Booth. This is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan of the Jeffersonian Institute."

After shaking the proffered hand, she asked, "Where are my remains?

He pointed down the alley. "They're about 100 yards that direction. You can't miss them," he answered.

She took off in the direction of the remains. Booth and Smith followed her at a more leisurely pace, discussing what was known so far.

Brennan had set down her kit, put on surgical gloves, and begun observing the bones and the small amount of flesh that remained. Booth pulled out his notepad and started to record the pertinent details as she called them out. She crouched over the remains to examine them more closely. When she discovered an earring on the ground underneath the body, he automatically grabbed an evidence bag and held it for her.

Smith observed the smooth way they worked as a team. "So, how long have you two been going out?" he asked.

Both of them looked at him for a minute. Instead of their usual denial, they glanced at each other and by mutual agreement simply ignored the question and continued with their work.

A few minutes later, Brennan looked up at him and complained, "Booth, my hair!"

He pulled the clip out of his pocket, bent down collected her hair in his hand, and snapped the clip into place. _Her hair is so soft._

She enjoyed the feeling of his fingers in her hair and it took her a minute to wrench her concentration back to the task at hand.

After about an hour, Booth moved to Brennan, crouched down beside her, placed a hand on her shoulder, and insisted that she stop for a few minutes and stretch. He stood up, offering her a hand. She took it gratefully. When she was standing she started to stretch her neck from side to side and roll her shoulders to work the kinks out.

Booth couldn't keep his eyes off of her. _It doesn't seem to matter what she's doing she's always graceful._ When she put her hands on her back to stretch it, he moved behind her and started massaging her shoulders and back.

Officer Smith noticed that even though she hadn't seen her partner move she wasn't surprised when his hands touched her shoulders and she seemed to melt into him. Their body language and level of comfort with each other went way beyond that of any other partners he'd ever met, even the male-female ones. After watching them for a few more minutes, Smith was convinced they were a couple. He repeated his question, "So how long have you been dating?"

Brennan eyes fluttered open and she answered truthfully, "We've never been on a date."

Thinking of their evening plans, Booth muttered "yet" softly under his breath. She glared at him.

"Come on, you can't really expect me to believe that!" Smith said, with a bit of exasperation.

"It's true," Booth backed her up.

He gave up. "Whatever you say."

Brennan moved back toward the remains to finish her examination.

Not having much to do, Smith spent continued his observation of the partners. Instead of saying the other's name to get their attention, Booth would put a hand on her shoulder or she would place a hand on his wrist. They seemed to be able to communicate without many words. A glance would often pass between the two and then a new phase of the remains of the recovery would begin. Sometimes, though, the glances would stretch and he could almost see the sparks flying between them. When they were finished and headed back to the SUV, he shook his head. _I don't know who those two think they're fooling._

As they drove away, Brennan observed, "Officer Smith really didn't believe us, even though we told him the truth. Why is it was so obvious to him and everyone else, but not to me?"

Booth didn't really know how to answer the question in a way that wouldn't make her mad, so he stole her hair clip again, knowing it would distract her. He found himself looking forward to their date. One thing for sure, things were never boring around her.


	6. First Date

At 5 o'clock Brennan grabbed her things and snuck out of the lab to meet Booth. He locked her purse and jacket in the SUV and they headed to the Jeffersonian's gardens.

They wandered for a few minutes, enjoying the relative peace of the gardens and each other's company. Booth could tell that her thoughts had turned to the upcoming conversation when she began to glance at him as if taking his measure.

He steered her toward a bench and they sat down.

"So, you have questions?" Booth queried, opening the conversation.

She nodded her head, trying to put her thoughts in order. _It's so hard to think when he's near._

After a minute, she managed, "I could tell the other night that you'd been thinking about this, about us, about what a relationship between the two of us might be like. When did you realize…"

"That I had feelings for you?" he finished. "I think I must have known for a while, but I wouldn't admit it to myself. But after I was kidnapped and you came to rescue me, I couldn't deny it anymore. Angela was going on about how you asked your Dad to help find me and about the tension between us, making her usual innuendos. I stood there, tuning her out, and thinking about the fact that I didn't doubt you'd be there. I had this image in my mind of you walking through that hangar door and in that moment all my self-delusions fell away."

'This conversation is turning out to be harder than I expected,' Booth thought. He shifted forward so his elbows were on his knees and turned his head to look at her.

Brennan expression showed her astonishment at the depth of his faith in her. After a moment, she collected her wits and asked her next question. "The other night you mentioned sacrifices. What exactly did you mean by that?"

"Well, any long lasting relationship requires compromise. We see things very differently. You talk about chemical reactions and biological urges and imperatives. I believe in love. You don't need a piece of paper to show your commitment, and I want to get married and have a family. These are some pretty big differences, but I think we can work through them," Booth said.

He glanced at his watch. "Come on, Bones. We should leave now if we want to make our reservations."

They stood and headed in the direction of his SUV. By mutual agreement, the ride to the restaurant was silent, both preferring to wait to continue their discussion. When he pulled into the parking lot of a nice Thai restaurant, Brennan smiled with appreciation at Booth.

Over a dinner of curried chicken and lemon grass soup, the conversation continued.

"Did you have some particular compromises in mind?" she asked. She was slightly afraid of what his answer might be. She wanted to be with him so much, but he was right about their differences.

"First issue: marriage. I know you don't need a paper to prove your commitment, but if things work out I'd like one to prove mine," he began.

When she started to interrupt, he said, "Temperance, just let me finish. It wouldn't have to be a church wedding. I don't expect that you'll change your opinion about religion."

"What do you mean by 'if things work out'?" Brennan asked with trepidation.

Booth reached across the table and put his hand over hers in reassurance. "If we can agree on some compromises," he answered.

"Okay," she indicated her understanding. "What about the rest?" She looked him directly in the eye, intending to challenge him, but the emotion she saw in his face almost overwhelmed her.

"Another big issue would be kids. I understand why you wouldn't want to bring a child into a world like this, but there are plenty of children in the world already who need homes and parents. Parenting can take a lot of time and energy, but the rewards are amazing. Maybe we could consider adoption," Booth suggested.

He couldn't believe they were talking about this like it was a negotiation, but he knew that she handled logic better than emotions and he didn't want her to run for the hills.

The waiter brought the check. Booth paid and they headed to her apartment.

Brennan was silent during the ride, deep in thought. _The compromises he's suggesting are reasonable. I think I could live with them. Earlier he said he wants forever, but so many people split up these days. What if he were to leave? I don't think I could handle that. I've never been so emotionally connected to another person._ _This is Booth. He's stuck around through a lot of hard things the past couple of years. And he knows most of my faults already. It's a risk, but maybe it's a good one. If I don't take my chances now, eventually he would probably find someone else and then I might really lose him. _The more she thought about it, the more realized that losing him was the crux of the matter. She had come to depend on him in so many ways._Sometimes relying on someone else is scary, but it can also be really nice. _The thoughts swirled in her head. She had good reasons to be wary, fearful even, of relationships lasting. But she also had a history with Booth that indicated things could be different with him, but she still needed some reassurance.

By the time they arrived at her apartment, she made up her mind. As soon as the door closed behind them, she dropped her purse on the floor and invaded his personal space. She looked him directly in the eye and asked, "Everyone I love leaves eventually. Why should I expect you to be any different?"

He answered slowly, "We've been through a lot together in the past two years, more than most people experience in a lifetime. We've come through it stronger and better. You know me and many of my secrets, and I know you and most of yours. You match me and understand me in more ways than any other person. You accept me how I am. Do you know how rare it is to find that in someone?"

The depth of his answer and the way his logic mirrored hers surprised her. She took a step back. "Why me?" she asked in a small voice. "I'm just a cold-hearted workaholic with abandonment issues."

"That's not what I see when I look at you. I see a beautiful, competent, intelligent woman with a passion for finding the truth who puts up a façade to distance herself from the awful realities that she sees every day," Booth answered.

Her eyes widened a little at this declaration and then she wrapped him in a tight hug. His arms came around her. She fit so perfectly in his arms. It took him a minute to realize that she was crying softly. He started to rub her back in soft, soothing circles.

After a minute or so, her tears stopped and she looked up at him. Her eyes were a little puffy, but he thought she had never looked more beautiful.

"Yes," she said softly, grabbing his hand and pulling him to the couch.

"Huh?" he asked, confusion evident in his features.

"Yes, to all of it – everything. Those are reasonable compromises and I'm sure we can work out any others," she replied with a radiant smile.

He was stunned. He hadn't expected her to make up her mind so quickly and when she smiled at him that way… he could hardly think. He pulled her close and cuddled her to his chest, still trying to digest it. He stroked the soft skin of her cheek and then slowly leaned in to press a soft kiss to her forehead. Happiness exploded in his heart. He wanted this so much, but he'd barely let himself believe that it could happen.

"What? Why?" he fumbled for the words to ask the question he wanted. He tried again, "Why'd you agree?"

"I couldn't stand the thought of losing you," she answered simply.

Her answer brought tears to his eyes. He blinked them away. _So it goes back to her abandonment issues and her desire for a family. _He tightened his arms around her. "I'll never leave you," he promised. He kissed her softly, seriously, trying to say with his actions what he could never put into words.

Like she had been doing all evening, she asked another question, "When?"

Confused again, he asked "When what?"

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, Seeley, there was a proposal somewhere in our discussion and I just accepted," she offered him another brilliant smile.

He looked at her in shock for a moment, and then replied, "You just gave me what I've been wanting and hoping for for a long time. I'm so happy I can hardly think. You're right, of course, I just expected it to be harder or longer or something. But I don't have a ring or anything, and …"

She put a finger on his lips. "You're babbling, Booth."

He kissed her finger, smiled, and said, "We should celebrate."

She went to the kitchen and returned a moment later with two glasses and a bottle of red wine.

As she popped the cork and poured the wine into the glasses, she said, "I've been saving this for a special occasion."

She offered him a glass. "To us," she toasted.

She clinked her glass against his and they both took a sip. She put her glass down and he followed suit. Slowly she leaned toward him. Her eyes darted to his lips and then to his eyes. Ever so slowly her lips moved toward him. Unable to hold back his desire any longer, Booth closed the distance between them swiftly and he kissed her gently. After a moment, he pulled back and slowly traced her lips with the tips of his fingers. He continued to explore her face with his fingers, still a bit unable to believe that it was actually happening.

At his touch, Brennan felt another of her walls melt away. She rained small kisses on his face, before capturing his lips. Her nerves were on fire. Her fingers twined in his hair and she tried to deepen the kiss, but he pulled back, looking dazed.

"So, when?" she repeated her question.

He couldn't have said what day or even what century it was. The woman he loved was finally in his arms.

"Um, now?" he asked.

She laughed in amusement. "Seeley, I don't think we could get married right now. It's 2AM. I'm pretty sure the offices are closed."

Suddenly a thought struck Booth. "Crap! I have a 7AM meeting with Cullen," he said. "I'd better go."

They stood and headed toward the door. He pulled her into a tight hug.

"I love you, Temperance," he whispered, kissing her forehead gently.

He reached for the doorknob, but she grabbed his arm and pulled him back for a long kiss.

"Do you really have to go?" she asked.

His lips quirked into a smile. "For now? Yes. But I'll see you tomorrow," he promised.

He dropped one last kiss on her sweet lips and then he was gone. She stood staring at the door for a few minutes, a silly smile on her face. Then she went to her room to get ready for bed. She fell asleep with a smile on her face, remembering his kisses and thinking about the plans she had to make.


	7. Backpeddling

**AN: Thanks to everyone for the wonderful reviews on the last chapter. Super thanks to redrider6612 who made me rewrite starting from this point, which improved the story tremendously (IMHO). Kia Grrl, yes that was a proposal, and she did accept. Because it's Thanksgiving this week, I have posted this chapter a little early and I will be posting the next chapter a little late. **

The next morning on the drive to work the events of the evening played through her mind. The past few days her emotions seemed to have been doing more of the "thinking" than her brain.

Preoccupied with her thoughts she failed to respond to the security guard's usual hello or a greeting from a fellow scientist. She went to her office by rote; she had walked the route so many times her feet knew the path. On automatic pilot she turned on the computer and logged in, but that was as far as she got. When Angela walked in several hours later, she was still staring at her wallpaper.

Angela looked at her friend whose mind was obviously elsewhere.

"Penny for your thoughts?" the artist offered.

Brennan started and then replied, "A penny might get you part of a thought…"

Angela laughed. "Do you want to see the facial reconstruction now? I thought for sure you would be in my office bugging me about it the minute I arrived."

"Maybe after lunch. I'm busy right now," Brennan said.

"I can see that. Staring at your screensaver is such hard work," Angela teased, before returning to her office.

Brennan picked up the phone and dialed her partner. When he answered the phone she jumped into the reason for her call.

"Booth, we need to talk," she said, her tone serious.

He suppressed an initial surge of panic and replied, "I was just thinking about heading your way to get an update. Why don't we grab lunch?"

Although he'd kept his tone casual on the phone, his gut whispered that maybe she had changed her mind. He hurried to the Jeffersonian, his partner, and lunch. By mutual consent they chose a restaurant they rarely ate at.

As soon as they were seated, he asked, "So, Bones, what's on your mind?"

"Well, I've been thinking…" she started.

"There's a shock," he muttered. She rolled her eyes at him. "Sorry…go on," he said, waving a hand for her to continue.

"What's the most important thing to you?" she asked.

He answered without hesitation. "You and Parker."

She looked at him a second, stunned by his response. Then she tried again.

"Okay. That wasn't exactly the answer I was looking for. Um… I was thinking more in terms of goals," she responded.

"Well, I want to be a good father and a good person," Booth answered, wondering where she was going with this, "and I'd like to catch as many criminals as targets I killed. There're probably a few others that aren't coming to mind right now. It's not like I walk around with a list in my head."

"And what would you say mine is?" she asked.

"Easy. You want to find the truth, and bring answers to the families of our victims," he smiled.

"Right. I'd say we do that pretty well," she commented.

"Come on, Bones. We do better than pretty well," he objected.

She nodded her acquiescence. "I think we do both of those things better as a partners than either of us did separately. You're finding your redemption and we're finding the truth of what happened to murder victims."

He was beginning to get a glimmer of where she was going with this. "And you don't want to risk the partnership by starting a relationship. You can stop beating around the bush, Bones. I get it," he said with a heavy sigh.

Confused by the tone in his voice, she commented, "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It's just… I was hoping… " he began, trying to put his feeling into words. He finally gave up. "Just skip to the let's be friends part of the conversation so we can get out of here," he said, more roughly than he intended.

"Booth? What are you talking about?" She was more confused than ever. "A few days ago I told you I was in love with you and I kissed you, of course we're friends. But you said that like it's a bad thing."

"It's the classic brush off, Bones. Someone, usually the woman, starts to explain something that indirectly leads to a discussion of the relationship. It always ends with her wanting to be just friends," he explained.

"Oh," she said as comprehension dawned. "So you thought…"

He nodded.

"But that's not what I was going to say," she objected.

The moment the words were out of her mouth, his charm smile appeared at full wattage.

"I was going to suggest we wait before getting into anything serious. Neither of us is going anywhere and our partnership is helping us both meet important goals. I know you said the risks were manageable, but how do we know? I'm not trying to deny what's happened between us…" she trailed off.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt," he began. "Crap! Do you always have to think so much, Bones?"

"Huh?"

"Well, your logic has just put two of my desires at odds with each other," he answered, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I really want both – a relationship with you and your assistance catching criminals"

"But we already have a relationship," Brennan pointed out logically.

He groaned, thinking of how hard it would be hold back with her now that they'd both admitted their feelings. "Not exactly what I meant, Bones."

"Oh, you meant a romantic relationship," she said.

"Well, that and… don't you think it will be hard to hold back, you know, now that we've kissed, Temperance?" he asked, using the intimacy of calling her by her first name to make his point.

She studied him a moment and answered, "I can compartmentalize, Booth. It's called delayed gratification. I'm sure you and Rebecca are teaching it to Parker."

He gave her a long searching look and agreed. "I can, if you can. But if you don't, I'm not really sure I'll be able to," he warned her.

The drive back to the Jeffersonian was silent. Both partners were still trying to absorb everything they had discussed. They shared a long look before exiting the car, trying to convey what they felt but couldn't put into words.

Booth followed Brennan into the lab, now ready for the update he needed about their current case. Soon the two were bickering over details, exactly as if it were any other day.


	8. A Minor Accident

**AN: Getting home after Thanksgiving is a long saga. But you don't want that story. You want the next chapter of this one. Enjoy. :-)**

In the days and weeks following her show, Angela watched her favorite pair for signs that her message had gotten through to either one of them. To her immense frustration, nothing much seemed to have changed. She had noticed a sort of softening between the two of them. Oh, they argued as much as ever, but the hard edges in their voices had diminished. Brennan seemed more comfortable than before with the small touches her partner used to guide her or gain her attention, and she seemed to lean on him a bit more often and with more ease. But Brennan had been slowly changing since she had become partners with Booth and there was no evidence that they were anything other than very, very close friends.

Although there were few outward changes in their relationship, the conversation between Booth and Brennan had made a big difference in other ways. They continued to do their normal things – working late and eating out. The quiet commitment in their relationship made it easier for her to share herself with him. He invited her into more parts of his life and she found she enjoyed it.

At first, it was the occasional request to go to the park or watch a movie when his son visited. Once in a great while Booth would bring him to the Jeffersonian and she would stop her work to show him something interesting. Then the fall came around and he invited her to one of Parker's T-ball games. Eventually she was there every game, cheering him on. Over time, she got to know Rebecca and found that she admired the woman's independent spirit, although in other ways Parker's mother was completely incomprehensible. Sometimes, when the baby-sitter canceled and Booth was unavailable, Brennan would watch Parker.

Although the two made no conscious decision to keep it from the other squints, they just didn't talk about the time they spent together outside of work. A few weeks before Christmas, Rebecca's company sent her to training in New York, so Booth had Parker for the week. He was thrilled to have the time with his son and disappointed when he couldn't get the whole week off.

Thursday of that week, she received a midmorning call. She picked up the phone.

"Brennan" she said.

"Is this Dr. Temperance Brennan?" the female voice on the other end asked.

"Yes. This is she," she replied cautiously.

The other woman let out a sigh of relief. "This is Mrs. Sturgis, the secretary at Parker Booth's school. His father gave us your name in case we couldn't get a hold of him."

Brennan didn't consider herself very maternal, but for the school to be calling Booth…

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Parker fell off the monkey bars during recess and the school nurse thinks he might have a concussion. We attempted to reach the boy's father, but he isn't answering his phone," Mrs. Sturgis explained.

Brennan glanced at the clock and replied, "Booth said he had an important meeting with his boss today. It must be now. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

She stood up, grabbed her purse and started toward the exit.

"Bren, where are you going? We have a meeting with Cam in two minutes." Angela said.

"Tell Cam something came up," the anthropologist called back over her shoulder as she strode down the long hallway.

"Bren?" Angela's voice echoed down the hallway after her.

True to her word, she was walking into Parker's school fifteen minutes later. The secretary showed her to the nurse's office. Parker was sitting quietly on a chair next to the concerned-looking nurse.

"Dr. Bones," he said happily, when she walked in. "Did you bring my daddy?"

"No, Parker. He's in an important meeting. We'll see him soon," she reassured him.

The nurse stood and Brennan sat down next to the boy. He crawled into her lap and she wrapped her arms around him.

"Can you tell me what happened?" she asked.

"I was sitting on the top monkey bar. It was really high and I wasn't even scared! But a soccer ball hit one of the poles and I lost my balance and fell off. Now my head hurts," he answered.

"Well, I think we should take you to the doctor to make sure you just have a headache and nothing more," she said.

She stood up with him. At seven he was almost too big to carry, but when she tried to put him down he clutched her tightly. She returned to the office.

"Mrs. Sturgis, I'd like to take him to the doctor. Can I sign him out?" she asked.

"Yes. You're listed as the emergency contact next to his mother and father," the woman answered. Brennan was surprised. 'Why didn't they tell me?' she wondered.

She took him to her car and carefully buckled him in. 'If I'm going to take him around in my car, I might need one of those… what're they called? oh, yeah, child safety seats,' she thought.

She climbed into the driver seat and then got out her cell phone. Booth and Rebecca had given her all numbers she'd need the first time she'd babysat Parker._I just need to remember where on my Treo I put them._ After a couple of tries she found the information for his pediatrician. She called them to say she was bringing him in and then pulled out a map to figure out how to get there from her current location.

The office wasn't far and soon they were waiting for Parker's name to be called. Brennan read to him while they waited, knowing that if he had a concussion he shouldn't sleep. The doctor saw Parker about half an hour later.

As they walked to the exam room, she noticed that he was walking a little funny. After a quick examination the doctor thought it was unlikely he had a concussion. The headache was simply a side effect of the fall.

"The fall appears to have affected his spinal column," Dr. Brennan announced.

He gave her a funny look, but asked Parker to walk down the small room away from them.

"I agree," he said. "How did you know?"

"I'm a forensic anthropologist," she replied. "Bones are kind of… my thing."

"Well, everything should be fine in a few days. If it's not, let me know and I'll refer him to a chiropractor," he said. "If you could tell that, why did you bother to bring him in? I'm sure you know the signs of a concussion as well as I do."

"I am not a medical doctor. Parker's father would have believed me, but I think his mother would want you to look at him," she answered.

"Speaking of his parents, why are you here instead of one of them?"

"Rebecca is out of town at the moment and the school was unable to reach his father," she answered, shrugging uncomfortably.

As soon as she signed the necessary forms, Brennan and Parker left the doctor's office and headed to the Jeffersonian.

"Your daddy's supposed to have lunch with me today. How about you hang out with me until he comes and we can surprise him?" she suggested.

"Yeah!" Parker said enthusiastically. Now that aspirin had taken care of his headache, he was beginning to feel better.

When they got to security, she signed him in and clipped the visitor badge to his shirt. She crouched down across from him and said, "You know what? We need to get you a real one of these. You visit often enough…"

His eyes lit up at the thought and he started talking about how much he loved coming to visit her and the bug guy and the artist. While he talked, she offered him a hand and he slipped his small hand into her larger one. Together they walked down the hallway into the lab.

"Dr. Brennan, where have you been?" Cam said from her position on the platform.

"Perhaps we could discuss it in my office," she replied coolly. "I'd rather not expose Parker to whatever happens to be on the platform right now."

Cam's head came up in surprise. "Parker? What's he doing here?" But she headed off the platform, following Brennan and Parker to the anthropologist's office.

"Does his presence here now have something to do with your absence from the meeting?" Cam asked.

"Yes. Parker sustained a minor injury at school and they couldn't reach Booth," she replied.

"So they called you?" Cam queried.

Brennan shrugged.

"Booth should be here soon to pick up some files from our last case," she said. "If there's nothing urgent I'll just keep Parker here with me. If you need something, I'll ask Angela if she could keep an eye on him for a few minutes."

"That's fine," Cam said.

As she exited the office, Angela waltzed in.

"Did I hear you say something about Parker, sweetie?" the artist asked.

"Hi, Angela," Parker piped up from his seat on the couch. "Did you come to draw with me?"

"In just a minute. I need to get my supplies," she said, smiling at Parker.

She shot a questioning look at her friend.

"Rebecca is out of town and Booth wasn't answering his phone. Parker fell off the monkey bars and hurt his head. I took him to the pediatrician to make sure he didn't have a concussion," the anthropologist replied, summarizing the past hour and a half.

"Wait, Rebecca is out of town and Booth was unavailable, so the school called _you_?" Angela asked in disbelief.

Brennan shrugged. "They put me on his emergency contact list," she responded.

Angela shook her head and left the office, wondering how Brennan could still be so oblivious. Booth trusted her with his son; what more proof did she need?

"Do you want to come play a game with me on the computer, Parker?" Brennan asked.

He replied, "No. I'll wait 'til Angela comes back to draw with me."

When Booth arrived half an hour later, he found Brennan in her office doing paperwork and Angela drawing with his son.

"Daddy," Parker cried happily. "You're here. Can we go to lunch now? I want chicken nuggets."

"Okay. Just let me talk to Bones for a minute and then we can go. Do you mind staying with him a minute Angela?" Booth asked.

At Angela's nod, he pulled Brennan out of the office.

"What's Parker doing here?" he demanded.

"Calm down, Booth. He's fine. The school called me when they couldn't get a hold of you. He fell off the monkey bars at school. Trauma to the left parietal as a result of the fall caused his head to ache and the school nurse was concerned that he might have a concussion. I took him to the pediatrician. The doctor said he's fine. I just wasn't sure what to do with him afterward. I knew you would be coming around lunchtime, so we waited for you," she explained.

"I didn't get a voice message from them," Booth said.

"Did you have your phone with you in the meeting?" she asked.

When he shook his head, she followed that question with another. "Did you remember to check your voicemail afterward?"

"I was in a hurry to get here…" he started, pulling the phone from his pocket. He flipped it open and listened to his messages.

He smiled sheepishly at her. "I'm so glad they were able to get a hold of you. Thank you for taking care of my son," he said sincerely.

He took a few steps into the office and said, "Are you ready for lunch, bub?"

"Yeah, let's go, Daddy," Parker said, jumping to his feet and running over to his father.

In the end, everyone except Cam ended up going with them to the diner. After lunch was over, Hodgins, Angela and Zach headed back to the lab, while Booth and Brennan took Parker back to school.


	9. Crossexamination

Since Booth and Brennan had gone from being partners to being both partners and friends, the nature of their relationship was occasionally brought up by defense lawyers as a ploy to discredit them as witnesses. The closer they became, the more often they were questioned. One trial several months later was typical of how the questioning went.

"Agent Booth," asked the defense attorney, "isn't it true that you're dating your partner?"

"If dating is defined as a man and a woman sharing a meal and an activity together, I would technically have to answer yes," Booth replied, gaining surprised looks from some of the jury members and observers. "However, I doubt that most people would consider eating takeout while reviewing case files a date. Once every three or four months, I do take her out someplace nicer to thank her after we've solved a particularly difficult case."

When it was Brennan's turn on the stand, the defense lawyer grilled her too.

"Dr. Brennan, would you characterize your relationship with your partner as strictly a working partnership?" the attorney asked.

"No. Agent Booth is certainly my work partner, but he's also one of my closest friends," she answered honestly.

"And this is why you spend time with his son?"

Brennan considered her reply carefully. "In the course of investigating cases, it is not uncommon that children are involved. My social skills aren't always… what my partner might wish them to be. Most adults… adjust, but children don't. Thus, I felt the need to improve my ability to relate to them. Agent Booth is one of the few people I know with a child, so I asked him to assist me. Parker Booth is an engaging child, and to my surprise I found that I enjoy interacting with him."

Brennan sighed internally with relief when the lawyer began another line of questioning.

After a long day in court Brennan was glad to be headed back to the Jeffersonian. She reflected on how things went in court. Usually she and Booth would talk about their chances of getting a conviction. But for the moment, the questions about their relationship were what stood out in her mind. She was always worried that the word platonic would come up in one of these questions. She couldn't honestly say that their relationship was platonic, but it wasn't romantic either. _There's just no good label to describe our relationship. We're more than friends, but less than dating or romantic. I guess that's what people have a hard time understanding. They seem to think it has to be one way or the other._

"Penny for your thoughts," Booth said.

Brennan smirked as she replied, "Hey, thoughts like mine are definitely worth at least a hundred dollars."

"I know," he responded with a wink, "but a penny's all I can afford right now."

"Well, I'd say a penny will get you about one word," she teased.

"Please, make it a word I know," he begged.

"What would be the fun in that?" she asked. "Besides, you're passing up a prime learning opportunity…"

Since their conversation after Angela's art show, he had managed to get her out of the lab slightly more often than before. Those evenings he would coax, goad, or bully her into doing something that would improve her social skills and pop culture knowledge. When they weren't worn out, it might be a concert or a club, but otherwise it was usually a movie or TV show.

Booth convinced Brennan to leave work early that evening. They got takeout and a movie and headed to her apartment. Conversation flowed easily as they ate, from Parker to work to an upcoming movie Booth wanted to see and a recent article Brennan had read in the Journal of Forensic Science.

Occasionally, they allowed themselves to acknowledge the fact that they were more than partners and friends in the privacy of her apartment. When dinner was cleared away, Booth popped movie into the entertainment system he had convinced her she needed. He returned to the couch. She snuggled next to him and he put his arm around her shoulders. For the duration of the movie, they enjoyed their prolonged contact, knowing that it would be brief and reality would soon intrude.

When it was over, Booth spoke. "Something happened this week that you need to know about," he said.

From his tone of voice she could tell that it was important and that made her a little nervous. She nodded for him to continue.

"Cullen told me about a job my superiors want me to apply for. It would be a promotion with better pay and more responsibility."

She tensed in his arms, immediately concerned about what was coming next.

He hastened to reassure her. "Temperance, I am not leaving you or Parker."

She let out the breath she'd been holding and said, "So what about the job?"

"I looked at it, but they wanted me to move to Texas. I think somebody saw the word single in my profile and assumed I didn't have a lot of ties to keep me here. I told Cullen that I wouldn't consider leaving D.C. as long as my son lived here."

Brennan slipped her arms around him and squeezed him gently, knowing that she was part of why he wouldn't consider leaving. A smile curved her lips. Once again he was showing himself worthy of the trust she placed in him – he wasn't leaving her.

He smiled down at her. "Cullen also told me that the collaboration with the Jeffersonian is becoming increasingly valuable in solving crimes. Apparently he feels it would be good to have another agent accustomed to working with the team. I told him that he should talk to Cam about assigning someone to Zach."

"Maybe working with a partner will help Zach with his social skills. Working with you has certainly improved mine," Brennan said.

"You know, this isn't the first time Cullen's told me about another job," Booth commented.

"It isn't?" Brennan asked.

"About two months before our conversation, I had the option to transfer to another division in the D.C. field office. The move would have been lateral, but there were more promotion opportunities in the other department," he explained.

"Why didn't you take it?" Brennan asked.

"I might have if it had been the year before that, but by then I was used to working with you guys and I was already in love with you," he answered with a soft look in his chocolate eyes. "We won't be able to stay partners forever though. I've been working with the team for a while and I like it. But I've just about gone as far as I can go in my current job. If they offer me a promotion that lets me stay in D.C., I won't be able to turn them down without essentially ending my career with the FBI."

"I know things will eventually change. Even if you remained the Jeffersonian liaison, they would have anyway. My feelings for you are making it harder to keep things professional," Brennan confessed.

"I feel the pull too," he acknowledged, "but I didn't want to push things. Our partnership is still fulfilling goals for both of us."

"I won't have a partner besides you, Booth," Brennan said.

"I know that, but I don't think Cullen does. I hope he takes my advice and assigns somebody to Zach."

They both fell silent, contemplating the growth of their relationship and where the future might take them. After a while, Booth stood up reluctantly said, "It's getting late, I should probably go."

She nodded and walked him to the door.

"Stay safe, Seeley," she said, reaching up to kiss him softly.

He pulled her into his arms for a hug. "I will. See you tomorrow at work," he replied. He dropped a quick kiss onto her upturned face. Then he stepped back from the hug and left quickly, working hard to restrain his desire to pull her back into his arms and kiss her with all the passion he felt. _She's right. This is definitely getting harder._


	10. Promotion?

**AN: Thanks to everyone for the reviews, especially those of you who review regularly.**

Booth listened as his boss spoke. When Cullen was finished, he said, "Yes, sir. I'll speak to Bones about it." Then he turned to leave.

As he was walking out the door, Cullen called after him, "Why do you need to talk to her about it?"

But the agent was already gone.

Booth rushed out the doors of the Hoover Building to his SUV and peeled out of the parking lot, headed for the Jeffersonian. He hurried through the employee entrance to the Medico-Legal lab. When he didn't find Brennan in her office, he headed toward the platform, swiping his card and taking the steps three at a time.

"Bones!" he called.

"Just a second, Booth," she replied.

Ignoring her comment, he put a hand on her shoulder and said quietly, "No, now."

She turned to face him.

He put his other hand on her other shoulder and said her name softly. "Temperance."

Now he had her full attention. She wondered for a moment why he would practically run onto the platform, demand her attention, and then say only her name._Wait. He called me by my first name, not my nickname. He only does that when…_

Her eyes widened and he gave a tiny nod. Then he jerked his head in the direction of her office and she followed him off the platform. Neither noticed Angela watching them from a computer station on the opposite side of the examination table Brennan had been standing at.

Brennan locked the door to her office behind her and went to sit next to him on the couch. She looked at him expectantly, so he explained.

"Assistant Deputy Director Adams is being promoted and Cullen wants me to be his replacement," Booth summarized.

When she didn't reply immediately, he said, "Tell me what you're thinking."

"It would be a big change," she replied.

"I'll turn him down if you want," Booth offered.

She looked at him like he was crazy. "You can't sacrifice your career because of me," she objected.

"I could and I would, Temperance," he responded. "I told you before… You and Parker are the two most important people in my life. I can always get another job, but there will never be another you."

Temperance took a deep breath and said, "You should take it."

"Are you sure?" He wanted, no, he _needed_ to be absolutely certain she was on board with this.

"I'm ready," she answered without hesitation, "for all of it, not just the job change."

He searched her face carefully, looking for even the tiniest bit of doubt. Instead he found acceptance, calm determination, and love.

Booth nodded. "Shall we tell him now?"

"We might as well," Brennan said, reaching for her coat.

Not long after, the two were standing in Cullen's office.

"I'll take the job," Booth said.

Cullen nodded. Although his expression did not change much, Booth could tell he was pleased.

"Adams is going to be gradually taking over responsibility for the Baltimore field office over the next two months. The current director is retiring. I expect you to transition into Adams' position during the same time period. You will be working fewer cases. I will assign Dr. Brennan a new partner. I'm already considering who would be a suitable replacement," Cullen explained.

"I won't be needing another partner," Brennan interrupted him. "I work with Booth. That's my deal."

"I was under the impression you enjoyed field work, Dr. Brennan," the older man replied. As an afterthought, he added, "Besides you worked with Agent Sullivan."

"Only temporarily. I do enjoy field work, but in order to keep up with my other work for the Jeffersonian I've been regularly working seventy and eighty hour weeks the past few years," she responded.

Cullen looked at Booth who nodded.

"Dr. Brennan, I will consider what you said," the deputy director said. "If you don't mind, there are some details I need to cover with my agent."

"I'll wait for you in your office," Brennan said to Booth as she left, carefully closing the door behind her.

"Is she serious?" Cullen asked.

Booth answered, "Absolutely, sir."

"Dr. Brennan's assistance has been invaluable in solving some of the most difficult cases we've had over the past few years," Cullen said thoughtfully.

"She said she doesn't want a new partner, not that she won't work with the FBI anymore," Booth pointed out. "Besides, you have someone working with Dr. Addy. It's not like our collaboration with the Jeffersonian will be ending."

The deputy director nodded and shifted the conversation back to Booth's new job. "I'll make the official announcement at next week's staff meeting." He stood, extending a hand to Booth. "Congratulations."

Booth shook his hand and then went to find Brennan.

Instead of taking her directly back to her office, he steered her toward the Jeffersonian's gardens. He looked around to make sure there was no one around and then pulled her behind a tree and into his arms. He kissed her until they were both breathless and she was weak in the knees.

"Wow. That was…" Brennan said, dazed and unable to find a suitable word to describe their kiss. She knew he had the ability to affect her deeply, but they usually restrained themselves, unwilling to break their self-imposed boundaries.

"I know," he said. "I'll pick you up this evening at eight?"

"I'll be ready. But no more kissing me like that, I can't think when you do and we need to figure some things out."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, letting her step out of his embrace and giving her a salute.

Booth headed back to his SUV, wishing the day were already over. Brennan returned to her office, completely distracted by thoughts of Booth and their kiss. She sat down at her desk and tried to remember what she was supposed to be working on.

"So sweetie, want to tell me what's going on with you and Agent Hottie?" Angela broke the silence.

Brennan practically jumped out of her chair in surprise.

"Ange, don't sneak up on me like that!" she exclaimed.

"I didn't sneak up on you," the artist replied. "I was sitting here when you came in, but you were so preoccupied that you didn't notice me."

"Oh…" she said.

"So, you gonna answer my question?" Angela probed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," replied the anthropologist truthfully.

"Bren, Booth called you by your name, your first name, not your nickname. Then the two of you locked yourselves in your office and afterward you leave for an unknown destination. A few minutes ago you return very distracted. So I figure you finally took my advice and jumped his bones," explained Angela.

Brennan suppressed her natural reaction to just how close Angela's intuition was to reality and said, "I plead the fifth."

"Ha, I knew it. You did," the artist gloated. "Wait, when did you learn that expression?"

"What? No! Ange…" she objected. "Booth will tell everybody next week."

The best of Angela's tactics couldn't get the anthropologist to reveal what she knew, and Angela left more curious than ever. Brennan, aware of the potential consequences of her continued distraction, disciplined herself to focus on her work. Soon she was bending over her latest remains, lost in the task of reading the bones and puzzling out what happened to the victim.

When Booth arrived at eight, Brennan started her usual argument about the importance of her work. He gave her a look and then she remembered their plans.

"Sorry, I guess I got caught up," she apologized as she pulled off her latex gloves. He handed her her coat and purse and guided her to the SUV.

The vehicle smelled of spices and … "Is that Indian food, Booth?" she asked, suddenly hungry.

"Yep. I thought it was time for a little something different," he explained.

The trip to her apartment seemed to take forever. She was hungry, and smelling the food was almost torture. He had barely stopped when she jumped out, grabbed the food, and headed into the building. He hurried after her.

"Remind me never to come between you and your food, Bones," he joked. "This is why I keep telling you to eat. If I don't, you run away with my dinner."

"I had to smell the food the whole way home and I'm _really_ hungry," she replied, spreading the food on the table.

Half an hour later, they had polished off the food and cleaned up.

Retiring to the couch, they hammered out a plan. Brennan listened as Booth called his parents, brother, and finally sister.

"Hi, Kellie. It's Seeley," he said. "How are you?"

After a few minutes of chit chat, he got down to business. "Listen, I'm going to be getting a big promotion at work. My partner's planning a big party to celebrate and I thought maybe you and Jared and Mom and Dad could come and we could have a mini family reunion."

He listened to her reply and then said, "How does the last weekend of May work for you? Mom and Dad said it was no problem and Jared thinks he and Suzanne can get vacation. He said he'd call me tomorrow and let me know."

"Great. Let me know what your boss says. Love ya, sis," he said. "Talk to you soon."

He snapped his phone shut and turned to his partner.

"Temperance?" he asked, seeing a sad look on her face.

"It's just… I don't have any family to call and invite," she said.

He wrapped his arms around her.

"Remember what I told you? There's more than one kind of family and your family will be coming too," he comforted her.

"But not my dad or Russ," she said, feeling down.

Unable to do anything to ease her sadness, he pulled her closer and kissed her softly on the forehead. She shifted more fully into his embrace.

"I love you, Temperance," he whispered softly.

She looked up and gave him a small smile. "I know," she replied. "And I love you, too."


	11. Party Plans

**AN: And it's that time again -- time for another installment of this story. Thanks for reading and special thanks to everyone who has reviewed.**

The gentle manner in which he returned to the handset to its cradle belied the frustration Booth felt. _That small-minded, vindictive, petty little weasel! It would serve him right if I…_Suddenly inspiration hit. He turned to his computer and began typing rapidly.

At 11:45 Brennan opened the door to her partner's office, stepped in, and cleared her throat to get his attention.

"I thought I made it clear that…" The words " I didn't want to be disturbed" died on his lips when he saw his partner. He stared at her, mesmerized. Lately, her beauty had seemed more incandescent somehow.

"I brought the finished case file on Maria Cortex," she said, offering him a manila folder with the report on their latest case.

"You wanna do lunch?" she asked.

He grabbed the file and nodded. "Sure. Can you give me five minutes to finish reading this?" he asked, gesturing to his monitor.

Brennan sat quietly, looking around his office as she had done many times before. He'd gotten a new computer and the pictures of Parker were different, but otherwise it hadn't changed that much since they'd become partners.

"Yes!" Booth crowed in victory, pumping an arm into the air. He stood up, pushed back his chair and pulled on his coat.

"Let's hit the road, Bones. Where do you want to eat?" he asked as they headed toward the elevators. After a short discussion they decided on a new Thai place opening nearby.

"So, what'd you read on your screen that made you so happy?" Brennan asked, after they'd been seated.

"It's kind of long story," he replied. "Kellie called me on her morning break, practically in tears. Her boss turned down her request for time off. Apparently he gave her a task and told her how he wanted it done. She knew there was a better way to do it, so she did that instead. She even made him look good in front of their boss and everything. She thinks he's trying to get back at her for not doing it exactly how he wanted. I thought maybe if I called, used a little persuasion, he would relent."

"Booth, he's just a vindictive petty little tyrant," she soothed.

"Yeah, but he's my sister's boss. She really needs a new job. Anyway, I decided to see what I could dig up on him that might make him see things my way."

"You were successful, I take it?" Brennan queried.

"Yep. Guess who's a huge fan of your books?" he shot back. "He's bought your last two books on the day they were first available."

"So you want me to what?" she asked.

"Oh, I thought maybe you could send him a signed copy of your book with a personalized message," Booth answered.

"That would probably work," she agreed thoughtfully. "It's perfect. Then your whole family will be there."

"Yeah. I was thinking we could do something fun with them on Thursday," he said.

"Okay. I'll make sure to get the time off. I'll have to come up with a reason that won't make Angela more curious than she already is," Brennan replied. "She's dying to know what happened."

"Think she'll be disappointed?" he asked.

She replied, "Probably. But when she realizes that I need her help planning the party, she'll probably be okay. How does Citronelle sound? The food there is fabulous and they have a private room available."

"Bones! Don't you think that's a bit expensive for celebrating a promotion?" Booth objected.

"Maybe, but it's not like we're expecting them to pay," she pointed out. "Besides, I have to spend my book royalties on something."

"It's fine then I guess," he conceded her point.

"Good, because I already put down the deposit." Brennan smiled seraphically at him.

As Booth predicted, a book signed by one of his favorite authors convinced Kellie's boss to give her the time off and, other than Angela's attempts to pry information from them, the week passed quietly since there were no cases. Brennan identified several bodies from limbo and Booth caught up on his paperwork.

On Thursday, Booth called a meeting of the squints.

"Finally!" Angela exclaimed as everyone sat down around the conference room table. "I've been waiting _forever_ for this."

Booth gave her a quelling look. "I have an announcement to make. I'm being promoted. Agent Firse will become the primary liaison to the Jeffersonian."

A babble of voices broke out as everyone tried to ask questions at once.

"Quiet," Brennan yelled.

A hush descended on the room.

"Booth will be transitioning into his new job as Cullen's assistant over the next several months," she said, answering several of the questions foremost in her team's mind.

"Will Agent Firse be working with you now then?" Zach asked Brennan, trying to keep his disappointment from showing in his voice.

"No," Booth replied. "Bones told Cullen she didn't want another partner."

Everyone looked at Brennan.

She shrugged and said, "I've been working a lot of hours lately. I think I might like to cut back some."

The partners answered a few more questions and the meeting broke up.

Angela followed Brennan back to her office.

"I can tell there's more going on than what you guys just said," the artist said, watching her friend's face carefully.

"You're right. I'm planning a nice party to celebrate when the transition is complete," she said.

Angela squealed. "Oh, a party. Can I help?"

Brennan smiled. This was working out exactly as she'd hoped it would. "Yes," she answered. "I already reserved the private room at Citronelle, but I need help with the invitations and centerpieces. How do you think everyone would feel about dressing formal?"

"The boys won't like it, but they'll do it," Angela answered. "Are you sure that Booth will like Citronelle? He's more of a steak and beer kind of guy."

"He said it's okay. He checked with his family and they can make the last weekend of May," she said.

"This is going to be great," Angela enthused. "We're definitely going to need new dresses."

That thought sent the artist into a monologue about the places they needed check for dresses.

"Ange," Brennan broke in, "can we focus on the invitations now? I want to get them out as soon as possible."

The two women put their heads together several times over the next few days. The end result was a fabulous looking invitation with custom artwork and calligraphied text. Brennan had them made to Angela's specifications. Even though she rush ordered them, the two weeks she spent waiting to get them back felt like forever. The evening she picked up the order, she and Booth spent the evening stuffing, addressing, and stamping the envelopes.

She put the invitations in the mail the next day, hoping that everyone would be able to come. 'Since when did I care so much about a single event?' asked one part of her brain. 'Since you met Booth,' the other side answered.

She left work early that evening. Not long afterward she was standing on the porch of Rebecca's house. Although the two had become friendly over the past several years, Brennan hadn't been to her house and she felt nervous. She wanted, no needed, this conversation to go well.

"Temperance," Rebecca exclaimed in obvious surprise. "What are you doing here? Is everything okay with Seeley?" she continued, a bit worried.

"No, nothing's wrong with Booth. Um… could I come in? I need to talk to you about something," Brennan said.

Rebecca opened the door wider and gestured Brennan into the living room. Parker came running into the living room.

"Mommy, I can't find…" he started to say.

But when he saw Brennan, he rushed over to give her a hug.

"Hi, Dr. Bones. Did you come to play with me?" he asked, chattering excitedly.

Brennan interrupted him. "Parker, I came because I needed to talk to your Mom. But after I'm done, if it's okay with her, I think I have a few minutes to play, alright?"

"Can she, Mommy, please?" he begged.

"Why don't you go to your room and when we're done she'll come, okay?" Rebecca agreed.

Parker dashed toward his room and Rebecca smiled fondly at her son as she watched run down a hallway off to the right.

"So, Temperance, what can I do for you?" Rebecca asked, getting down to business.

Brennan hesitated a moment, and then began slowly. "Booth and I…" She took a deep breath. "Booth and I…well, we're getting married," she finished in a rush.

The words hung in silence between the two women for a moment. If Rebecca was surprised, it didn't show on her face.

'This is really awkward,' Brennan thought. 'Maybe I should have let Booth tell her, after all.'

Rebecca shook her head, not believing what she'd heard. "I'm sorry, did you just say the two of you are getting married?"

"Yes," Brennan affirmed softly.

"I knew how he felt about you, but…" Rebecca trailed off, not sure how to say what she was thinking without offending the other woman.

"But I don't seem the type? Or didn't seem to care about him that way?" the anthropologist completed the thought in her usual blunt manner.

"Exactly," the other woman said.

"I didn't think I was the type either. And apparently the people close to me could see how I felt, even though I couldn't," Brennan said. "My friend Angela decided that she had to prove it to me."

Now that Rebecca had had a minute to adjust to the idea, she was terribly curious about how it had happened. "How'd she do that?"

The anthropologist summarized the art show and the subsequent conversations for the mother of her partner's son. When the story was over, Rebecca was astonished at how different Brennan's relationship with Booth was than hers had been.

"So, why are you telling me this?" Rebecca asked.

"Booth was going to tell you, but I asked if I could instead. In the future, we'll probably need to…" Brennan searched for the right words. Unable to find them she continued, "and I wanted to start things off right, or at least try."

From their past encounters, Rebecca knew the anthropologist was very perceptive but she seemed to lack some of the usual communication skills that most people had. Rebecca was silent, not knowing what to say. The woman was making an extraordinary effort and doing so much better than she knew.

"You're the first person we've told. We aren't telling anybody else what's going on. They think it's a party celebrating his promotion. We aren't going to invite a lot of people and the ceremony will be simple. We want you and Parker to be there. If I gave you the information when I have it, would you get Parker fitted for a tux?" Brennan asked.

"We'd be honored," Rebecca said.

Brennan gave her the details she and Booth had worked out so far and then asked her not to tell anyone. Their conversation concluded, the hostess gave her a tour of the house, ending with Parker's bedroom.

When they entered, Parker cheered, "Yeah, Dr. Bones. Now we can play."

Brennan crouched down to his level, and said, "Alright, what are we playing?"

Parker thrust an action figure into her hand, "You be the bad guy and I'll be the superhero."


	12. Shopping

**AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed: squintsquad03, seeley's sweetheart, freelancer, starbuck, SamandJake, Juwist, EternalConfusion, bones.house.love, CSIgirlie08, AtMyBehest, bb-4ever, GGjunkie33, Edward-is-mine-back-off, BlueTigress. Special thanks to redrider 6612 who found and pointed out the places where this chapter needed to be updated to fit this storyline (and no the original OOC one that I started out with).**

Angela showed up around 10 on Saturday, determined to drag Brennan shopping for a dress for the party. Since she knew the anthropologist couldn't turn down her help with finding that dress, she decided she might as well see what else her wardrobe was lacking. After spending an hour going through the closet and every single one of her drawers, Angela asked, "You haven't gone shopping since the last time you went with me, have you?"

"Yes, I have," Brennan protested. "I bought a skirt and shirt last month."

"Well, your wardrobe is in need of serious help. With all the fieldwork you've been doing lately, your clothes are getting very worn. And I'm not even going to try and tell you how out of style most of them are. And your underwear? Hopeless," the artist proclaimed.

"Ange," Brennan groaned.

"Look, sweetie, think of it as killing two birds with one stone. We'll get a dress for the party _and_ some new clothes. I know you hate to shop, but we have plenty of time today. If things go well, you won't have to go again for a while."

Brennan nodded, wondering why she had bothered to argue. Angela always won the argument about shopping. _I should just be grateful she doesn't make me go more often._

"First, though, we need to eat so we'll have enough energy for a long afternoon of shopping," Angela announced.

Angela spent most of lunch planning the best approach to their trip. They were going to cover the mall and a few other stores.

Having shopped with Angela before, Brennan wasn't surprised that Angela's plan turned out to be relatively efficient. Sometimes their shopping trips were as much about having girl time as about shopping, and they would meander their way through stores trying on clothes when something caught Angela's eye. Other times she would whirlwind through the stores on a hunt for something specific. Today, the artist was on a mission – buy her friend complete new wardrobe and a formal dress in a day.

She pulled Brennan in and out of store after store, selecting clothes, ordering Brennan to the dressing room to try them on. Angela occasionally pushed her friend to buy something a little bit out of her comfort zone, but when Brennan really objected she backed down. After the third or fourth store, Brennan once again appreciated her friend's talent. _Not only is she good at picking clothes that will look good on me, she's even got a pretty good idea of my style. _

Every time the two became loaded down with bags, they returned to their car and put them in the trunk. Afterward they would walk slowly to the next store, enjoying each other's company.

When they arrived at Victoria's Secret, Angela insisted that she buy not only new bras and panties, but also lingerie.

"Here, try this one on," Angela said, offering Brennan the skimpiest thing she could find.

"Ange," Brennan objected, checking the price tag, "why would I spend $65 dollars on a few straps of uncomfortable looking fabric that I won't wear?"

"You're not supposed to wear it for long," she answered, with suggestive wink. "Trust me, you need a few things like this. You'll thank me later." Under her breath she muttered, "And if you don't, your sexy special agent sure will."

"I heard that," Brennan said blushing. "Don't you think that's jumping the gun a little? We haven't even had a date yet!" Brennan mentally crossed her fingers and hoped Angela wouldn't be able to tell she was lying.

"Wait? Are you…? You are! You're blushing!" Angela couldn't resist teasing her a bit. "Since when does my rational best friend, who talks openly about biological imperatives and her sex life, blush?"

Brennan didn't reply, just headed for the dressing room with the clothes Angela had been putting in her arms. Thoughts of Booth reminded just how much he cared and it scared her a bit._ But I have to stop living by my fears. Marrying Booth…is a risk, yes, but it's a reasonable one. He's proven he's invested in us, in our relationship, and I trust him…_

Later, they sat at a table in the mall's food court drinking iced coffee and relaxing a bit.

"We've found almost everything you need," Angela said. "But you have to stop being so picky about your dress." They had looked at dress after dress, and several had looked stunning on the anthropologist. She had purchased two of the dresses, but insisted they hadn't found a good one for Booth's party yet.

'You mean my wedding dress,' Brennan thought, but she said, "We just haven't found the perfect dress yet."

"Most days you don't care what you wear!" Angela said incredulously. "Usually I have to drag you shopping and you want to buy the first reasonably acceptable one we find. Since when do need the perfect dress?"

"This is Booth's special night and I want to look good," Brennan said. "Now that we're not going to be partners anymore, I've been thinking I might take some of your advice."

"Oh, sweetie, you have got it bad," Angela said, with a smile and a small laugh. "We'll keep looking. I can't believe that the two of you being partners is what's been holding you back all this time. So, when are you going to ask him out?"

Brennan smiled. _I didn't exactly lie. I just didn't say which of her advice I was planning on taking. Won't she be surprised?_

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "Maybe after the party?"

Finished with their drinks, they tossed the cups into a trashcan and Angela lead the way to the last few stores in the mall that Angela wanted to hit. As they exited the mall laden with bags, Angela announced, "Change of plans. We're skipping the other stores I had planned on and we're going to a couple upscale places that sell evening wear. Since you're being so particular, I figure we have a better chance there."

They struck out at the first store. After 45 minutes of looking in the second store, Angela was just beginning to despair of ever finding a dress that would satisfy her friend when Brennan pulled a dress off the rack and checked the size.

"Ange, look!" Brennan said, excitedly holding up the dress.

"I don't know, sweetie," the artist said eyeing her choice doubtfully.

But Brennan was already headed to the changing room. In her excitement to try on the dress, she fumbled with the buttons her shirt. When she had the dress mostly on, she called Angela to finish zipping her up.

"You… you look amazing," Angela said awed.

Brennan stepped out of the dressing room to see the dress in the three-way mirror. She turned around slowly, trying to see the dress from every angle.

"This is the dress," she proclaimed, unable to hold back a broad satisfied smile. "I told you we'd find it."

Angela watched her friend. "That dress was made for you, but are you sure it's right for the party? You don't think it's too…" Angela wanted to say "too much like a wedding dress," but she knew the anthropologist had serious relationship hang-ups. At the moment, Brennan was willing to take a chance on her partner and Angela wasn't about to do or say thing to scare her off.

"Too what, Ange?" Brennan asked.

Sensing that a potential sale might hinge on this conversation, the saleslady that had been helping them interrupted. "This dress really complements the tone of your skin and the color of your hair. If you're going to get this dress, you'll need a different bra than the one you're wearing though."

"I'm definitely buying it," Brennan said decisively, to Angela's surprise.

The saleslady asked her size and returned a minute later with the proper undergarment. The two friends returned to the dressing room. Soon Brennan was modeling the dress again and she couldn't seem to take her eyes off of it.

"You'll need to get it hemmed. Did you want me to pin it for our seamstresses?" the saleswoman.

Brennan looked at the woman's tag and said, "Thank you, Cynthia, but I think I'll take it to my tailor."

Cynthia nodded. "Did you need shoes to go with the dress?" she asked helpfully.

At Brennan's nod, she said led them through a doorway to a part of the store the anthropologist hadn't noticed before, directly to shoes that would match the dress. Angela indicated a couple of possibilities. After trying on three pairs, Brennan picked the most comfortable.

She turned to Cynthia, "I also need some jewelry."

Cynthia gestured them toward the front of the store. "So, when's the wedding?"

Angela cringed. Brennan startled, and then said quickly, "What wedding? I'm wearing this to a formal dress party."

"I'm sorry. The dress just looks like something to be worn to a wedding. Why don't you look at the displays and see which ones you like?" the saleswoman said, trying to cover her mistake.

While Brennan browsed, Cynthia pulled Angela aside. "That's not exactly a party dress," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I know," Angela sighed quietly. "She bought two other dresses, but insisted on finding the right one. Apparently this one is it. It's weird. Usually she hates shopping and I have to drag her away from work, and now she's looking for the perfect dress. I'm just going with it. I have a while to talk her into wearing one of the other ones."

Angela stepped away from her and started looking at the opposite end of the display case from Brennan. In the second case, she found the perfect jewelry. It had stones that matched the colors in the dress.

"Bren," she called. "I think I've found what you're looking for."

The anthropologist took one look at them and smiled. Soon she was modeling the dress, shoes, necklace, earrings, and bracelet in another three-way mirror.

"Did you need anything else?" Cynthia asked.

Brennan shook her head and started removing the jewelry.

"Okay, why don't you head back to the dressing room and get into your clothes and I'll get started ringing you up?" she suggested.

While Brennan was getting dressed, Angela thought about her friend's behavior. 'Love must really be messing with her head,' she concluded.

When Angela saw the total cost of the Brennan's purchases, she thought for sure that her friend would balk. But Brennan just shrugged, handed over her credit card, and said, "Have to spend the book royalties on something."

Hearing this, Cynthia looked at the name on her credit card and recognized who she was. Not knowing how the woman felt about being recognized, she held in her excitement. She could tell her co-workers all about it later.

Brennan carefully carried the dress to the car leaving Angela with the rest of the bags. When she grabbed her keys from a pocket and opened the car, laying the dress out across the back seat. Angela deposited her bags and then noticed Brennan's purse was missing.

"Bren, you must have left your purse in the store," she said.

"I'll be back in just a minute," the anthropologist said, hurrying back in the store.

She ran into Cynthia near the front, carrying her purse.

"You forgot this," she said.

"I know," she admitted. "I left it on purpose. I wanted to buy a gift for my friend and I couldn't do that if she was here."

"Do you know what you want?" the saleswoman asked.

Brennan nodded, pointing to a necklace she had noticed Angela lingering over. "And I'll also take this clip," she added.

Cynthia quickly boxed and rang up Brennan's second set of purchases. Brennan slipped them into the bottom her purse and hurried back to the car.

"Sorry about that," she apologized. "I think I've had enough shopping for the day."

Angela smiled, "Let's drop off the bags at your place and go out."

"Only if it's for a quiet dinner," Brennan said.

"But sweetie, don't you want to show off one of your new outfits? We could call Jack and Booth," the artist asked.

The thought of seeing her fiancé was very tempting, but they had to be careful around Angela.

"Maybe another night. Shopping is so draining," Brennan said. "How about take out and a movie? I'll let you pick."

Figuring this was as much as she would get from her friend tonight, Angela agreed.

**AN: So... probably not quite as fun as Parker cuteness, but I think Angela shopping scenes are fun.**


	13. A Day With The Family

The weeks leading up to the party flew by. Before Brennan knew it, the party was only a day away. She had told Cam and her co-workers that she had a doctor's appointment on Thursday and a book deadline soon and managed to get the two days off without arousing any suspicions.

She, Booth, and Parker stood in the lobby of the hotel, waiting for his family to come down from their rooms. The elevator door opened and a middle-aged woman emerged. She was a few inches shorter than Brennan with short, dark hair.

The woman rushed across the lobby and Booth moved toward her.

"Hi, Mom. It's so good to see you," her partner said, giving his mom a big hug. "Did you guys have a safe drive?"

Before she could answer, Parker shouted, "Grandma, grandma!"

After she had given Parker a hug, the two led her to Brennan.

"Dr. Bones, this is my grandma. Grandma, this is Dr. Bones," Parker introduced the two.

Brennan offered Booth's mother her hand and said, "Please, call me Temperance."

To her surprise, the older woman hugged her and then said, "It's so nice to finally meet you, my dear. I'm Eileen. Seeley's been hiding you from us. Every time we've visited, I begged him to introduce us, but he kept making excuses."

Brennan opened her mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say. She glanced at Booth. In truth, she had been uncertain about meeting them and had stayed away during their visits.

Parker rescued her by tugging on her hand and introducing her to his grandfather who had just arrived.

While Brennan was distracted Eileen turned to her son and quietly commented, "You didn't tell me you were in love with your partner. I thought you might be from the way you talked, but I wasn't sure until just now. How long have you two been dating?"

"Mom," he protested out of reflex, "it's not like that. She's my partner."

"But she's not your partner anymore, now that you have this new job," she pointed out logically.

Booth opened his mouth to repeat the usual phrases, but then closed it.

"You're right," he agreed.

From the expression on his face, Eileen knew there was something he wasn't telling her. But at that moment, Kellie, Jared, his wife Suzanne, and their two girls joined the group and the moment was gone.

Kellie rode with Jared and his family, and Brennan, Parker, Eileen and James rode in Booth's SUV for the short drive to Six Flags. In the front seat, Booth and his father discussed the likelihood of their favorite baseball team winning their next game.

"The bio on the back of your books just doesn't say enough about you," Eileen said, and then she started peppering Brennan with questions.

Favorite color wasn't so hard to answer, but she didn't like any sports or watch television. She hadn't felt her lack of ability to connect with people quite so keenly in a while. She wanted to make a good impression on her future mother-in-law. _Mother-in-law? I can't believe that it's tomorrow. _She just couldn't bring herself to call it a wedding, even though they _were_ getting married. Weddings had connotations of religion, patriarchy, and horrible bridesmaid dresses. She thought of it as a commitment ceremony.

"So, what do you with your spare time?" Eileen asked, interrupting Brennan's thoughts.

"Oh, I love to read," Brennan replied, glad to be able to answer a question.

Booth's mother followed up with "Who's your favorite author?"

Brennan started listing the authors she read regularly. However, since they were mostly anthropologists or forensic specialists, Eileen had never heard of them.

"Do you have a favorite author?" the anthropologist asked.

"You," she answered with a surprised expression. "Seeley, I can't believe you didn't tell her she was my favorite author and how much I wanted to meet her."

'So that's why she wanted to meet me so much,' Brennan realized.

"Mom, she writes books on the side and always seems annoyed when her agent makes her do interviews or book signings," he said.

"It's not that I don't appreciate the fact that people like my books," Brennan explained, "it's just that interviews and such always seem to get in the way of my work. And, I never know what to say to fans."

"Well, I'm just glad that I finally got to meet you," the older woman enthused.

Booth pulled into the Six Flag's parking lot, and Parker starting chattering loudly about how excited he was to go on the rides. At the entrance, Booth handed out tickets and the group proceeded into the park.

After a while, Parker begged them to take him to Gotham City to ride some of the "cool roller-coasters." Soon, Jared's girls, Samantha and Alianne, joined their voices with Parker's and the group headed that way. Booth's parents, Jared and Suzanne sat down on a bench to wait while the rest stood in line and rode Joker's Jinx.

Like the tween girls they were, they talked constantly and argued.

Occasionally they'd ask Brennan a question.

"Who's cooler, Batman or Spiderman?" Alianne wanted to know.

"Um… I don't know," she replied. "What do you think?

Booth leaned over a whispered, "They're comic book superheroes, Bones."

She gave him an annoyed look. "I know who they are," she whispered back. "My brother used to read comics."

By the time her attention turned back to the girls, they had moved onto another topic.

When the topic of music came up, Brennan admitted that her latest music purchase was African tribal drumming. The girls gave her blank stares which made her uncomfortable. All in all, she was glad when it was their turn on the ride.

Afterward, they walked off the ride laughing. As they approached the waiting adults, Brennan said, "I haven't had an adrenaline rush like that since …"

She paused and whispered in Booth's ear, "Did you tell them about your getting kidnapped?"

When he shook his head, she continued, "Well, since a long time. It doesn't quite compare to hiding from the Chinese army, but it's certainly safer."

The Booth family immediately besieged her with questions. She answered a few and then distracted them by asking what ride was next. The day continued in a whirlwind of rides, stories and laughter. Brennan didn't contribute as much or laugh as often as the rest, but only Booth noticed. To Booth's surprise, Brennan beat everybody at skeeball, but nobody was surprised when Booth hit every target at the shooting gallery.

By mid-afternoon everyone was ready for a break and a snack. They sat down around tables and the conversation began.

When there was a lull, Kellie said to Brennan, "So, tell me about your family."

Brennan, who was already feeling more than a bit overwhelmed by the day, just couldn't handle it anymore. She leaned over and said quietly to Booth, "I'm leaving. I… I'm just not quite ready for all this. I'll catch a cab home and maybe meet you guys for dinner."

Booth understood that spending the day with his family had been a stretch for her. She was really making an effort to get to know them and he appreciated it.

"What should I tell them?" he asked.

She shrugged and reached for her purse. While they'd been whispering, the conversation picked up again. When everyone had finished their ice cream cones, Brennan offered to throw the napkins in the trash and then quietly slipped away.

It wasn't long before Parker noticed that she was gone.

"Where's Dr. Bones, daddy?" he asked.

Immediately Booth had an audience.

"Well, she's not used to hanging out with so many people. It made her feel really tired, so she went home to rest," Booth answered.

"There's only nine of us," Kellie protested. "That's not a lot. I mean, think of how many of us there are at Christmas."

"Her parents and brother disappeared when she was fifteen. She's not exactly used to be around family," he said, offering the shortest explanation he could.

"So it was what Kellie said at the table?" Eileen asked.

Booth sighed. He'd hoped they would let things go.

"No, it's not just that," he replied. "She feels awkward around people when she first meets them. She might meet us for dinner."

His family could tell by the closed expression on his face that the topic was closed.

It was pretty warm day and the kids decided they wanted to go on Renegade Rapids. Parker and Samantha decided it would be fun to splash each other. By the time the ride was over, the two were practically drenched. No one had escaped completely dry.

After looking at the map, Suzanne pointed said, "The bathrooms are right over there. I'll be back in a minute."

Suddenly, it seemed that everyone needed to use the toilet and Booth and his father were left watching the stuff.

James looked at his son.

"Please tell me you're not serious about making me wear a tuxedo to your party tomorrow," he said.

Booth shrugged. "Bones planned the party," he responded.

"I told you after the last FBI charity formal you talked us into attending that I wasn't wearing one again except for your or Kellie's weddings," his father warned.

"I can't control my partner, Dad," he said. "Please just do it. It'll be worth it, I promise."

James nodded, looking at his son carefully and his eyes narrowed. The boy was up to something, he just couldn't figure out what.

After that, everyone seemed to lose steam. They meandered their way through a few of the park's less exciting attractions and then decided they'd had more than enough fun for one day.

Booth called Brennan while he and Jared went to retrieve their vehicles.

"Bones, we're leaving Six Flags. You wanna meet us at the hotel? We'll probably decide where to go to dinner from there," he said.

Her affirmative reply put a huge smile on his face.

He said, "Okay. We'll see you there. Bye."

Jared looked at his brother and laughed.

"You've got it bad," he explained.

"You should have seen yourself with Suzanne," he retorted, managing to neither confirm nor deny what his brother said as he unlocked the door to the SUV.

They picked up the rest of the family near the entrance and headed back to the hotel. After taking a few minutes to freshen up, they reconvened in the lobby. In a friendly fashion they began to argue about the best place to have dinner until Brennan arrived.


	14. Happy Ending

Friday morning, Temperance met with the woman they'd hired to coordinate everything. The two reviewed setup of the private room where the party was to be held and other details, like delivery time for the cake.

Then she left for the spa. She'd read online about the normal preparations a bride makes and then called Angela's favorite spa and made an appointment. The list of beauty treatments was long and it didn't take long for Brennan to be glad she didn't do this on a regular basis. A facial followed her manicure and pedicure; then her legs were waxed. Haircut and styling preceded make up. By the time everything was done, she decided that solving a case would have been easier.

She was done in plenty of time so she headed to Citronelle early to make sure everything was okay. The coordinator was extremely competent and had everything under control. So Brennan relaxed for a few minutes and watched as the room came together.

At 5:30, half an hour before everyone was scheduled to arrive, Brennan retrieved her dress from the car and headed to the bathroom to put it on.

As the guests arrived, the restaurant staff directed them to the private room. The Jeffersonian team arrived in one of Jack's limos. Even though Angela had helped Brennan figure out the table's centerpieces, she hadn't been part of the rest of the planning. In the dim lighting, the room was elegant. A long table occupied the length of the wall to her right. The centerpieces alternated with candles. Across the portable dance floor from the table, there were two large objects covered in linen. A string quartet finished warming up and began to play.

"Angela, you're blocking the door," Hodgins said, before using the arm he had around her waist to propel her further into the room.

After a few minutes of socializing with the team and a few others, she realized she hadn't seen Brennan.

Booth approached Angela and said, "I haven't seen Bones in a bit. She went to the bathroom. Would you mind getting her? I think we're ready to start."

The artist headed to the bathroom.

"Sweetie, are you in here?" she called.

The door to the handicap stall opened and Brennan emerged. She was wearing a strapless dress fitted through the torso which flared gently to the floor. The cream fabric was embroidered with forget-me-nots in rich blues and purples.

Angela was speechless for a moment and then exclaimed, "Wow! You look… incredible. You're going to knock his socks off." She ignored her friend's confusion and said, "Come on, you don't want to be late."

While Angela was looking for Brennan, Booth asked everyone to find their seats. At the door to the room, Brennan paused to adjust her nylons and told Angela to find her seat. After a minute, she entered and walked up next to Booth who was standing at the head of the table.

They shared a long look. Each thought the other had never looked so good. Then they turned to their guests.

"Thank you for coming to celebrate Booth's promotion," Brennan said, her voice pitched to carry to the end of the table. "Since you probably don't know everyone, we're going to take a minute to introduce everybody."

Booth started on the right, introducing his boss and then a few of his FBI friends. Next was his family and Rebecca, then a few of his army buddies and the squints. He introduced Brennan's agent and a few of her college friends, which confused Angela because she knew he didn't know them. Then he came to an empty seat.

"Sitting here is…" he began.

At that moment, a tallish man with brown hair walked in the door.

"Russ!" Brennan exclaimed and rushed to hug her brother.

Booth continued, "Russ Brennan," as the two moved toward the table.

"You might have noticed that this is a little more elaborate than the usual party for this sort of thing," Brennan said. "That's because we're also celebrating something else this evening, our commitment ceremony."

The coordinator removed the linens covering the objects on the other side of the room to reveal a sound system and a latticed-arch covered in forget-me-nots. It only took a minute for Angela to figure out what was going on.

"Sweetie, you're getting married?" she exclaimed loudly. "That's why _your_ friends are here for _his_ party. I can't believe it!"

Angela's mention of the word "married" answered the question on everyone else's mind – what exactly was a commitment ceremony? Gasps came from a number of the guests and everyone besides Booth and Brennan sported expressions varying from smug to shock to surprise.

When the surprise had settled in, the two walked toward the arch and gestured everyone to follow. Brennan called Angela to her side and Booth grabbed Hank and Parker.

The two stood before the arch and a justice of the peace stepped underneath. Over the sound of the string quartet playing romantic music, he said, "These two, Seeley Booth and Temperance Brennan, have chosen to recite their own vows and express their commitment to each other."

Booth started. "Over the years we've known each other, we haven't always gotten along. We're very different people, but we complement each other so well. It hasn't always been easy and I doubt it ever will, but I love you with all my heart, Temperance. You've become my best friend and you accept me in a way no one else has. For the rest of my life, I promise to love, cherish and protect you, to consider us before me, and be faithful to you."

He slipped a ring onto her finger, and then she said, "Seeley, you always seemed to see the real me, the one hiding beneath the clinical work-a-holic that most people can't get beyond. Somehow you worked your way through my defense mechanisms and took up residence in my heart. When I'm scared or upset, I promise to come to you instead of running or hiding behind my work. I love you and Parker."

As she slipped a ring onto his finger, the justice of the peace intoned, "By the power vested in me by the District of Columbia, I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Then they were in each other's arms, kissing fervently. This day had been long time coming and they weren't about to cut it short. They were so absorbed in each other that they missed the snickers of their audience as their kiss lengthened.

Finally, Parker tugged on his father's coat. "Daddy, I'm hungry."

He pulled back from Brennan, a dazed look in his eyes. Then he smiled down at his son. "Okay, bub. Why don't you head back to the table?"

Everyone took this as a signal to return to their seats. Hank and Angela signed the marriage certificate as witnesses.

When everyone was seated, the restaurant staff began to serve dinner and the murmur of conversation slowly drowned out the music of the quartet.

Temperance asked her brother, "How did you know to come?"

"Dad got a message to me, Tempe," he replied.

She turned to her husband, "Wait. You told my dad?"

"Did you really think I wouldn't?" he said. "Actually, I tried to arrange for him to be here too, but I just couldn't make it happen."

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "It means so much to me that Russ is here."

Booth asked Russ about his mechanic shop and Russ asked his sister about her work.

When dinner was about over, Booth stood and announced, "After we're done, there will be dancing and then dessert."

Angela stood immediately and said, "You're not getting off that easily. We're all dying to know how this happened."

He looked at Brennan. "Temperance, perhaps you'd like to explain?"

She stood, took a deep breath, and said, "You know, Angela, this is all your fault." This statement garnered a laugh from the guests. "You were always telling me that we were the perfect couple."

Brennan turned her eyes toward the rest of the table. "I always denied it of course, saying among other things, that neither of us felt that way about the other. One day she got really tired of hearing that and decided to prove it to me."

Intrigued, Hank asked, "What did she do?"

"She did a series of paintings depicting scenes from our relationship and displayed them at an art gallery," Booth answered.

"And she gave us both notes that led to a conversation and eventually this," Brennan finished.

During the explanation the string quartet had quietly packed up and slipped out, and the DJ uncovered his equipment. When it was over, the DJ spun up Hot Blooded by Foreigner and the bride and groom took the dance floor. It wasn't exactly a typical song for a first dance, but it fit them perfectly.

While most watched the couple dance, Angela was sitting in silent shock.

Cam, who had accepted the reality of Booth and Brennan long before, said, "Nice work, Angela."

"Huh?" Angela said. "I can't believe it. The art show was forever ago."

The song changed and Brennan danced with her brother while Booth danced with his mother. Then she danced with Parker. Slowly the dance floor began to fill up.

After a while, the cake was served, and afterward Rebecca took Parker home.

When Brennan paused to rest her feet, Angela accosted her.

"I can't believe you were dating all this time and you didn't even tell me," the artist said, clearly hurt.

"But we weren't dating and we never lied about our relationship," she objected. "You know how our court cases go. We'd never have managed to keep it a secret."

"But, you didn't even tell me you were in love with him," Angela said.

"Why would I need to tell you that? You already knew. You were the one who proved it to me," the anthropologist replied.

She sighed. "Sweetie, best friends share things like this."

"Ange, I didn't leave you out. I know I didn't exactly tell you what was happening, but you helped me buy my dress and you designed the invitations. And you gave me lots and lots of advice about throwing parties," Brennan responded. "Originally, I just wanted to go to the courthouse, but Booth convinced me this was better."

"Alright, I understand. But we are _not_ done talking about your relationship with Booth," she said. Then she went to find Jack for another dance.

The dancing continued until one by one the guests slowly said good-bye and left. When it was just the two of them, Booth pulled her onto his lap and kissed her softly.

"I can't believe we're finally married," he said.

"We didn't need a piece of paper to prove anything," she replied, cuddling closer.

"No, but it is kind of nice to announce to the world that you're with me," he responded.

"You're such an alpha male," she retorted.

"And you love it," he said, with a smile.

He stood slowly, setting her carefully on her feet.

"Come on, wife," he said, his eyes darkening with desire. He kissed her until they were both breathless and then said huskily, "There's a hotel room awaiting our presence."

She grinned at him saucily. "I think you mean a bed," she replied, slipping her hand into his and heading for the door.

**AN: And so... the story comes to an end. Thank you to everyone who reviewed -- you've been fabulous. And many, many, many thanks to redrider6612 who edited this story for me. Without her this story would have been very different and way out of character. I've got a couple of other stories in progress, but it may be a while before I get something new up with the holidays coming up.**


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